Abstract:
The development of an innovation environment draws from a number of the potentials present within the Seaview Wellington site. The designed Science Park responds to our current climate change concerns, which contributes towards New Zealand’s ‘clean green’ identity. It establishes Seaview as a science hub and destination for education and employment attracting talent to its shores.
Within the context of the information age, or what Jeremy Rifkin describes as ‘The Age of Access’, innovation and progressive learning becomes critical not only to the survival of each individual, but to each part of every city (Moller 39). As a social species it is our continual collaboration that has seen us evolve. Collaboration between companies and research institutions looks to create win-win situations through their mutual endeavours with economic, environmental and educational benefits.
The development of a Science hub platform for learning could be a significant value added investment to Wellington’s infrastructure with flow on effects throughout the economy. Through their individual specialisation and collaboration between companies, gains are able to be realised with exponential benefit to the whole.
The Science Hub acts as an incubator for ideas to further the flow of information between inhabitants. Collaboration acts as the catalyst from which the critical mass combines to create concepts for commercialisation. The science hub acts as a tool for conceptual cross over and exchange, a symbol of synergy.
It is the successful merging and combination of building hardware, software and orgware viewed from a societal and economic point of view which determines the success of the project. It aims to provide a case study in the continual evolution of architecture as an “enabling” device to facilitate exponential growth in education, with economic and environmental benefits (Price 11).
