Master’s student wins top architecture award
For the second consecutive year a student from Victoria University of Wellington has won a prestigious New Zealand Institute of Architecture award.
Master of Architecture student James Durcan was announced as the winner of the 2015 NZIA Cadimage Group Design Award last week for his project titled Indigenous Digital Craft: Expressing Māori Culture.
James’ winning project explores the concern that new architectural processes, which replace traditional construction methods with digital ones, fail to reflect the culture and traditional architecture of indigenous communities.
Working in conjunction with Ngāi Tāmanuhiri iwi of Poverty Bay, he came up with the solution of a large-scale, collapsible ceramic printer that can print local clay—the first of its kind in New Zealand.
The printer is designed to work ‘off the grid’ at a coastal site belonging to the iwi where it can transform the natural clay found in the area into a viable building material.
“My interest in progressive digital technology has grown over the course of my studies, but I am aware of the criticism that these new technological processes struggle to incorporate the intense cultural and personal meaning that traditional craft can achieve,” says James.
According to James, while 3D printing has already gained strong momentum within the design industry, the jump from printing objects and products to printing buildings is one that is still being made and was a primary focus of his research this year.
“My research looks at how we can use this new technology at a community and cultural level to empower locals so the practice of architecture becomes more accessible,” says James.
As part of the project, James has designed a whare manaaki (place of nurture) for Ngāi Tāmanuhiri which incorporates a motif inspired by the local kaitiaki (guardian), a whai (stingray), which he intends to build over January and February 2016. The structure will be built on land near Young Nicks Head and will service the nearby beach and the community of Muriwai, near Gisborne.
James says the guidance he has received from his supervisor at Victoria’s School of Architecture, Derek Kawiti, has been invaluable in putting his research into practice. “Not only did Derek initiate the relationship between Ngāi Tāmanuhiri iwi and myself, he’s also provided me with critical and intelligent architectural advice which, combined with his cultural knowledge, has made this project possible.”