Searching for urban utopia

Abstract

Utopia is defined as a place of ideal perfection, especially in relation to social conditions. It is projected by humankind from the real, but never actually exists. As society has progressively redefined itself by city conditions rather than rural living, we find ourselves engaged in the 'search for urban utopia'. This design research investigation challenges our active 'search for urban utopia' as a means of reinventing the interior of Capital E. Capital E is located in the heart of downtown Wellington. A building fundamentally for children, learning and play, it joins actively with four governmental and public buildings to form our Civic Square. This unique set of conditions makes Capital E a compelling site to explore the search for Urban Utopia. As a centre for children, yet aligned with important government buildings, it is a place where adults can remember childhood and the innocence that they have lost. The unfiltered purity of children is a quality of Utopia, and with the innocence of children, we become closer to Utopia. The programme for Capital E is sited beneath the bridge that links between the city and harbour. As a symbolic site where water and land intersect - the City to Sea Bridge - it also provides a unique opportunity to engage the psychological conflict between our constructed lives and our natural environment, another vital aspect of the Search for Urban Utopia. In this design investigation, the principal interior intervention acknowledges the two diametrically opposing grids that form the contextual envelope of the building. One grid conforms to the orientation of the other four governmental buildings on Civic Square, while the other grid acknowledges the orientation of the sea. These two opposing grids, the city grid and the harbour grid, establish the foundation of the design. While the internal spine of the design intervention conforms to the city grid, the harbour grid invites our experiences to shift toward the natural grid as we draw closer to the elements of childhood. The experience of being in the space reflects our search for Urban Utopia and drawing closer to it.