Reclamation and Rebirth: An Inventory Driven Design Opportunity for Christchurch

Abstract

Mainstream architectural practice is preoccupied with the ‘new’. Advances in technology and materiality, a burgeoning knowledge-base and a rapidly developing population have led to excessive building development. We are now faced with resolving unprecedented levels of construction and demolition waste, carbon dioxide emissions and resource exploitation. Add to this the occurrence of a critical event, such as an earthquake, and these problems escalate. In the aftermath of such an event, urgency to restore order and ensure safety can result in the disposal of materials, possessions, whole buildings, and even suburbs. The demolition of buildings and infrastructure in effect destroys the vernacular of a city, its history and cultural identity, and the memories of its inhabitants. This represents a serious gap in current building industry practice and in particular, in the recovery process following a critical event. The aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate: How to facilitate the reuse of reclaimed materials using principles of inventory-driven design, as a way to embrace the collective identity of a community and alleviate waste disposal on the environment… especially in the aftermath of a critical event. A review of relevant literature and an analysis of eleven precedents has been undertaken to determine economic, logistical and psychological influences in the adoption of reclaimed materials within the building industry. Several inhibiting factors were identified; material organization and display, perceived lack of an established and easily available mechanism for material exchange, misconceived perceptions relating to reclaimed material quality, and lack of guidance for designers. Design-based research investigated the spatial conditions deemed optimal to increase the adoption of reclaimed materials in a specific locality. Christchurch City was selected as the site for the proposed design case study as it is representative of other large cities in New Zealand and has recently experienced a series of critical events with wide-reaching consequences. The research concludes that there is a need to better facilitate, inspire and support the adoption of material reuse practices within the building industry. It proposes that a new type of mechanism be developed to promote an ‘inventory driven’ material reuse strategy - whereby a stock of reclaimed materials is compiled to serve as the stimulus for an architectural design.