Something old: Something new

Abstract

There currently is a shortage and demand for well-designed, high quality living and working developments in Auckland City. The majority of modernistic, small open-planned apartments do not cater for the diversity and discordance of activities within family or multi-person households, who increasingly want to live close to work, transport, entertainment and amenities. This will become progressively prevalent with a raising population, and with it, the need to increase the density of our cities. A solution can be provided with a design methodology driven by selected principles of Classicist planning and spatial composition, within a contemporary aesthetic. Three inter-related principles have been chosen explicitly for their ability to shed new light into the way modern apartments are spatially designed and planned, including: ‘volumetric spatial composition,’ ‘hierarchy of spaces,’ and ‘spatial and formal unity.’ In the Classicist mindset, a building is constructed functionally by separate spatial volumes; their position determined by the relationships required to each other; through direct connection, hierarchy, and in such a way as to form unity and balance within the whole composition. Driven by this methodology, the project involves the design of a ten medium-to-high-density apartments within Auckland City’s ‘Victoria Quarter,’ primarily and their surrounding communal, mixed-use environment. This project is not a debate about style, but rather a study of the formal properties of planning design. The aim is to find a solution to a modernist planning problem with design techniques developed from Classical architecture, whilst permitting a modern social lifestyle, and to provide functional, efficient and adaptable spaces for multi-person households. These techniques, applied inside and out, will facilitate the vibrant, interactive and community-oriented environments that are sought after by many who live in apartments, or wish to do so in the future.