The pocket village : it takes a whole village to raise a child

Abstract

This project attempts to define a new typology to assist the maturation of adolescence in New Zealand ; by exploring the architectural consequences of the worldwide cultural milieu of a village structure. In modern society, a successful adult is often defined by their educational and occupational achievements. They are able to take care of one’s self and are able to take on many responsibilities. These are strongly influenced by the cultural environment, which ultimately highlights the goals for adolescents to strive for. However, there are some adolescents, typically from low socioeconomic backgrounds, that do not achieve a successful outcome during the vital years of the maturation process. A village for youth to live, learn and work with guided autonomy and responsibility might be a possible social tool to augment their transition into adulthood. Similar to a youth centre, there are communities that are in need for facilities that can help adolescents who come from low socioeconomic families. However in some circumstances, the bare provision of youth centres is not enough to attract the youth of the community to voluntarily partake in activities.Therefore, a common interest has to be identified as the driving force. This project will take on the architectural characteristics of the village structure and the applied chosen programmes. They will act as a catalyst that will attract and assist the development of the youth. There are generally three stages during adolescent development; early, middle and late adolescence. The stages involve physical, cognitive and social-emotional development. It is important for this project to be aware of these developing parts. Therefore, the village must offer a healthy environment for the social-emotional development of the youth. The village must offer programmes that cater to the physical and cognitive areas of their development. The study hopes to produce a youth environment that allows youth to develop into mature adults with self-confidence, ambition and willing to take on responsibilities to prepare them for the future. Proposed site: Claywest Place, Glen Eden East, Auckland.