Nothing is lost till it is forgotten

Abstract

Architecture is a complex and demanding task, with influences drawn from every area of life, funnelled into a refined whole. In order to produce a design for a library in Lyttelton which echos this moment of history, this thesis explores the work of Peter Beaven and Alvar Aalto, abstract and street art (graffiti) and the post-earthquake rebuilding of a city. The design will utilise its wider urban context and its prior spacial syntax in order to establish an engaging architecture that is rich in meaning and talks to a variety of different demographic groups. (This thesis both presents an architectural canon of Peter Beaven, through the creation of a town library that is informed by his work, and a memorial to him. Architecture has an element of subjectivity. How it is interpreted by both designer and viewer/user is totally dependent on a number of factors such as who and what we are. The research will focus on the idea that there is a place in the present architectural canon to allow for the visual misinterpretation of a building by the public. The library will embody both factual and fictional interpretations in its history. This research investigates, through the process of ‘stripping back’ designated structures that are deemed as qualitative spacial forms, which Peter Beaven designed that add to the public’s narrative of Christchurch environment. By continually analysing, replicating and abstracting these through traditional architectural techniques such as modelling, drawing and ideas learnt from the contemporary art of the period, a three dimensional understanding of the chosen forms within Canterbury’s current urban context will be established. Like any good narrative there is a back story. These design forms are manipulated and explored using both analogue and digital techniques from which a new hybrid form can evolve. The resulting forms are analysed to identify possibilities or opportunities for new architectural spaces that tell a story whilst serving a purpose. The outcome is a new library for Lyttelton. Whilst Christchurch, post the earthquakes, is at a turning point we still need to remember the past when redesigning elements for the city, otherwise we may follow the perils of modernisim. It explores the assumption that historical buildings need to be restored otherwise history is lost to us. By representing a continuation of heritage, architecture can act more like a memorial hall (similar to that of the small New Zealand township halls dedicated to the Second World War). The project aims to reinvent a past built environment in order to create something which allows the reading of stories that enrich the architecture in the rebuilding of a sacred city. It also meets the pragmatic needs of a library and serves the purpose of educating students in the works of a past master of the profession.