This project was completed as a part of second-year studio, and was done in collaboration with Ben Pogson. The untitled work responds to a brief set in the Waitakere ranges, and stages a series of intimate, atmospheric encounters that reflect the site of origin. We had opportunities to consult with the manager of the Arataki Visitors Centre, who provided incremental feedback throughout the semester.

Under the countenance of historic and impending environmental dangers, the project presents a sense of belonging created through a new landscape. Timber, water and earth are principal material considerations of the project. The Manukau harbour is viewed as a historically treacherous berth. Due to nimble tides that crash between a narrow mouth, the shallow harbour has seen tragedies as great as 189 lost. Atop the overlooking hills and beneath the verdant sheets of Arataki, Rangi and Papa face corrosive descension; the rapid decay of Kauri-dieback.

The plight of native timber is delineated through a journey undertaken by the protagonist. Treacherous waters and subterranean refuge guide visitors through the Manukau harbour and into the land of the Waitakeres. They navigate a journey through the timber structure, and into the cavernous landscape interior. Mirroring the timber needles punctuating the parallel waters, the landscape structure features four ceiling vacancies, which draw water and light inward. Unraveled with a somber voice, the intervention reveals these moments of danger and historic richness through light, shadow and movement.