Top Architecture Student Redesigns Denniston
Victoria University architecture student Roger Wilson took home the top NZIA Graphisoft Student Design Award late last year for his futuristic vision of the West Coast ghost town, Denniston.The annual design competition is contested by the top four final-year architecture students from the three New Zealand architecture schools.
A passion for visionary architectural design, building on traces of the past and rejuvenating industrial sites led Mr Wilson to the historic West Coast mining settlement.
Mr Wilson chose to utilise the once thriving town as the setting for his final-year project, which was to create a proposal for a revived township. Inspired by the history and character of the deserted township, Mr Wilson is now only weeks away from completing his thesis “Transcendent site: resurrecting Denniston”.
“I have always been fascinated by industrial sites and interested in exploring how architecture can move toward the future,” he says.
Extensive research of Denniston, which is perched on the side of a 600 metre mountain next to the ocean, included Mr Wilson staying with local archivist Gary James for just over one week, exposing him to the Plateau and its harsh weather conditions.
Mr Wilson says he was impressed by the site.
“The site qualities are captivating and I was struck by the industrial remnants of the past.”
He is appreciative of the support of his supervisor, Lecturer Phillipe Campays, throughout the venture.
“He kept pushing me even when I did things differently. I started designing very early on, so while most people research first then design, my approach was very much design-led.”
Mr Wilson‘s proposal incorporates a social and commercial hub, and various types of accommodation and multi-level apartments for miners, their families and long-term dwellers. Another major element of the design is sustainability, making use of the climate in the dormant subterranean mine workings, which is ideal for producing edible vegetation.
The award judges said Mr Wilson‘s entry showed a balanced engagement of past and future.
“We'd like to go to this town, at least for a visit,” they said.
Other top Victoria University architecture students put forward for the prestigious award included Sophie Hamer who reworked Wellington‘s Post Office Square; Te Ari Prendergast who envisioned a Maori carving school in the Christchurch Red Zone; and Ashton Wright who proposed a construction system for New Zealand school buildings where classrooms could be customised by designers, teachers and children.