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Item Discussing methods and methodologies: Chinese architectural history – concepts and organising principles(Unitec ePress|Te Pūkenga, 2024-12-29) Jiang, Jonathan Qian; Jadresin-Milic, Renata; Unitec, Te PūkengaRESEARCH QUESTION How might the characteristics of Chinese architecture be methodically classified and systematically organised to encourage creativity and innovation for architecture students? ABSTRACT This paper aims to analyse the methods used in the existing literature on architectural history that introduce the characteristics of Chinese architecture. The investigation sought to address the research question: How might the characteristics of Chinese architecture be methodically classified and systematically organised to encourage creativity and innovation for architecture students? Following a preliminary discussion, three seminal architectural history books formed the core foundation of this study. One significant finding from the review is that no single method of categorisation can comprehensively illustrate the entire history of Chinese architecture. All systems of classification present a process and effort to balance the need for in-depth knowledge and the demand for a holistic overview. The paper proposes an ‘integrated system’ to systematise and present the subject to architecture students as a possible answer to the question posed in this study. This paper hopes to contribute to the current and ongoing local and international debate on the pedagogy of architectural history.Item Designing alongside Māori: Theorising experiences of relational, place-based architectural practice in Aotearoa(Unitec ePress|Te Pūkenga, 2024-12-29) Temby-Spence, Abigail; Unitec, Te PūkengaThe research project “Designing Alongside Māori: New Possibilities in Practising Architecture as Tangata Tiriti” grew out of an observation of the lack of literature available for non-Indigenous architectural practitioners and students wanting to support Māori tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Qualitative interviews were sought with non-Indigenous architectural practitioners identified by Māori architectural practitioners as having culturally sustaining architectural practice. A thematic analysis of these interviews explored the relational, place-based approach that allowed practitioners to remain in their own cultural traditions while centring Māori ways of being, behaving and perceiving the world. This deeply relational approach to people and place strengthened interviewees’ identities as tangata tiriti (people of the Treaty) in collective relationship with tangata whenua (people of the land), and through this, relationship with the whenua (land) itself. These relationships and connections to place are strong enough for interviewees to be able to face Aotearoa’s colonial settler history, harm caused by mainstream architectural practice, and to persevere even though they know they will make mistakes as they seek to practise architecture in culturally sustaining ways.Item Challenges of the Muisca cultural revival: Lessons from Māori architectural resistance(Unitec ePress|Te Pūkenga, 2024-12-29) Nieto, Pablo Vanegas; Unitec, Te PūkengaColombia’s Indigenous Muisca culture, once flourishing in the Bogotá region, has undergone significant transformation due to Spanish colonisation in the sixteenth century, which led to the displacement of Muisca traditions and their merging with Spanish traditions over centuries. Despite these changes, the Muisca community maintains a distinct cultural presence on Bogotá’s outskirts, particularly in Bosa municipality, now known as El Porvenir. The Muisca community has pursued further recognition and land rights to safeguard their heritage. However, they have faced challenges from urban development and historical injustices, highlighting the need for strategic architectural interventions to preserve their identity. This article explores how architectural practices could empower Indigenous communities through an analysis of historical, cultural and social contexts, identifying Māori architectural strategies that act as a form of resistance to prevent assimilation by the Western culture. The goal is to gather insights from Māori architectural experience that could be applicable to the revitalisation of Muisca culture in Bogotá, Colombia. Cultural, historical and social contexts will be analysed, focusing on the role of architecture in shaping and preserving identity.Item The future promise of Tau Henare Marae(Unitec ePress|Te Pūkenga, 2024-12-29) Rawiri, Keisha; Unitec, Te PūkengaThis article explores how traditional knowledge and the aspirations of Tau Henare Marae whānau, of Ngāti Hine iwi and Te Orewai hapū, shaped an architectural design response – a proposed master plan for future development. This plan embeds their identity within both natural and built environments. Findings are presented from a Master of Architecture (Professional) thesis employing kaupapa Māori (Māori approach) methodologies such as pūrākau (a collection of traditional oral Māori narratives), Te Aranga Principles (Māori design principles), wānanga (discussing and learning about tribal knowledge) and whānau interviews in a comprehensive qualitative analysis of Tau Henare Marae buildings and landscaping. The research revealed that integrating kaupapa Māori approaches into architectural design significantly enhances iwi (tribe) and hapū (subtribe) engagement and promotes a strong sense of identity, leading to innovative re imaginings of the built environment.Item Intertwining community-driven and student-built approaches to activate suburban streets(Unitec ePress|Te Pūkenga, 2024-12-29) Wang, Xinxin; Patel, Yusef; Unitec, Te PūkengaSuburban streets often lack vitality and fail to foster social interaction and community cohesion. Traditional approaches to retrofitting tend to focus on static spatial interventions, proving costly and inadequate for addressing dynamic community needs. This paper explores flexible, cost-effective solutions that can activate suburban streets and enhance cultural cohesion. Through a brief review of street retrofitting concepts and practices, the authors investigate ways in which an inclusive approach can promote community engagement and transform streets into dynamic social spaces. This approach consists of a community driven and student-built collaborative design, prefabrication and installation, and adaptive use by the community. Examining Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand as a context rich in cultural diversity and with a demand for vibrant public spaces, the authors tested this new approach through design interventions by Unitec architecture students in Open Streets events in Avondale, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The authors then tested this approach with two projects: Toutai-'a Maui: Maui’s Catch at the Whau Arts Festival, and the Woven Gateway at the We Are Woven Festival. The positive outcomes of these two projects demonstrate the potential of temporary architectural interventions in activating streets and fostering conversation about the streets of Avondale.