Category: 2019, Semester 2

I personally have lived most of my life drinking rainwater as I live in a semi-rural community with no town supply water. I grew up to be conscious of my water consumption and was always taught to reduce the amount of water I used, especially in summer when tank supplies would get low. Because of this, I have a greater apreciation for water. I want to involve this concept of understanding the connection between our natural environment, Ranginui (Sky Father) and what comes out of the tap when we turn it on in my refreshment area design. I want my design to make the bath house occupants more aware of the part they play in the larger context of their surroundings and how we aren’t separate from everything else, but a part of it and play a role in how it evolves, changes and develops.

Rainwater is the purest form of water. After some further research into the benefits of drinking rainwater, I found that rainwater actually has”lower levels of pollution, mold, pollen, and other kinds of contaminants compared to our public water supply.” (https://rainwatertanksdirect.com.au/blogs/safety-drinking-rainwater-benefits/) . I also found that rainwater has alkaline pH level. This not only has detoxifying affects but it also promotes healthy digestion. Many minerals and chemicals are put into town supplies to kill off bacteria and germs. Although safe to drink, sometimes too much is added to the water resulting in health problems. Because rainwater doesn’t have these chemicals and minerals, it promotes healthier skin and hair. This is something I noticed myself when travelling and using town supply overseas; my hair and skin got progressively and especially dry.

I always notice the difference between town supply and tank water and always feel so much better and healthier when I drink rainwater. As a self-acclaimed water snob, this feature of rainwater collection in my design is something I really want to look further into and implement.

Through my bath house design, I am trying to create a relaxing, calming and tranquil atmosphere. I am trying to infiltrate the space with the atmosphere of the native New Zealand forest. The reason I want my atmosphere to replicate the forest is because of the physical, mental and emotional benefits immersing oneself into the forest. With this atmosphere I want to achieve a design that gives the bath house occupants a better understanding of the wider life force of the forest and the role they play in it.

I aim to create this atmosphere through the use of soft, light colours, natural and organic shapes and nothing too bold. I also aim to create this flowing, serene atmosphere with the with the sound of the falling water wall and the opening up of the north wall to the forest. By creating flow between the interior of the basement and the pocket forest, I am allowing the atmosphere of the forest to infiltrate the space.

This week I experimented with my draft model in the larger site model with the pocket forest and light. I needed to develop an idea of atmosphere further and playing with lighting and sun light helped me do this.

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I liked how the light filtered through the trees giving an organic and natural lighting and shadow affect in the space. This gave a calming and relaxing feeling, an atmosphere I wanted to look into and develop further. Although from direct sunlight, the lighting affect in the space is not harsh and has a soft, calming and relaxed feeling to it.

This experiment also made me consider the artificial lighting in the space. My design is situated in the basement of the Dadley Building meaning minimal light and the pocket forest and surrounding buildings also manipulate and restrict the amount of natural light in the space. I want to create an open feeling in the space and I feel that having a light atmosphere will make it feel more open whereas a dark atmosphere will feel more enclosed.

This week we practiced presenting in our groups. This exercise, although very casual, helped with getting me used to communicating my idea and concept to a group in a small amount of time. It also allowed me to get some constructive feedback on how I can change and develop my idea further over the break. For me this was really helpful to get more opinions from people I may not generally talk to about my design to get a different point of view.

This week I made a new model to fit into the site model. I also explored some new ideas in this model. I changed my entrance to the north side of the basement (Mount St) where I put a ramp leading down from the above street (below right). I decided on just putting a ramp to allow people in wheelchairs to access the bathhouse easily. The reason why I chose the layout of the ramp that I did was because I wanted to utilise the outside space and make the movement flow into the building. I also want to explore more with what I can do with this entry space.

I also added in this design a water wall (below left). This is a divider between the pool area and the changing and refreshments area. This is a device that is attached to the ceiling and disperses a stream of water down to the ground. The reason why I put it along the whole width of the basement was because I wanted it to act as a way or people to cleanse their bodies before entering the pool and after the pool.

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In this design I also moved the refreshments table to where my original entrance into the basement was. I also added a window above the station to allow as much natural light into the space as possible. The pocket forest stops a lot of natural light getting into the low lying space so lighting is something I really have to consider. I want to further develop this refreshment space to make it more interesting and enjoyable.

One other alteration I made to the space was opening up the north wall at the far end of the space (above center). This opening allows the forest to flow into the space and also allows the guests to fully experience the forest. This is one of the best ways I can bring merge the forest and the bathhouse. The space next to the pool and directly in front of the opening is gong to be used for a relaxing seating are. I want to look further into how I can make this a design feature in the space, not just some loungers and a table.

Because there were quite a few people in our group that have decided to put their entrance on the south side of the building (Mount St), we decided as a group to cutout a section of the base to allow people to design their entrances. We have kept the cutout so those wanting their entrance on the northside can put the cutout back into place for when they present.

• Serenity
• Peace
• Experience
• Flow
• Harmonious
• Wider understanding

My design explores how the serenity of New Zealand forest can be trickled in and experienced within the space of the bathhouse. I am exploring how to integrate the outside world with the inside by altering the threshold that divides the two. My design focuses on the flow throughout the space and the harmony of movement, emphasising the harmony of mauritanga within the native New Zealand pocket forest. I want to explore the peacefulness of the forest in my design with the experience through sound, sight, movement, smell, temperature in feel. I don’t want to disrupt the flow between the land and the sky with alterations to the surface in the forest, but I want guests to be immersed in the experience of the forest. I want people to understand the meaning of the forest through their experience in the bathhouse. I can’t integrate my bath house design into the forest, so I’ll integrate the forest into my bathhouse. I will do this by using sight, sound, texture and temperature to create the calming, soothing, relaxing and harmonious atmosphere of the forest in my design. 

This week we looked more in-depth into how to cater for all people wen designing our bathhouse. We looked at the needs for families with young children. They will need changing tables and enough room to pick up their child in the changing rooms. We also looked at people in wheelchairs. They will need wide enough hallways to move through. They will also need large enough changing rooms so that someone can help them get changed. Another consideration is having railings and low enough lockers for them to put away their belongings.

In class we acted out these scenarios to get a better idea of how we need to cater for people with limitations.

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This week I continued developing my model for my bathhouse. I modelled a possible bathroom layout and also lockers for guests to put their belongings. I also made 1:100 people to put in the space so I could get a better understanding of how people will move through the space and whether the space actually works with people in it.

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Kia ora 

Ko Rangitoto te māunga 

Ko O’Meachair tōku iwi 

Nō Tamaki Makaurau ahau 

Ko Ciara Maher tōku ingoa 

This week I started modelling my own design for the bathhouse. I found that making quick draft models allowed me to get ideas out really quickly and allowed me to change and manipulate my ideas as I went on. I started with one of the most defining design features from my floor plan, the extruding glass boxes. Because this was only a quick model, I modelled the shape of the boxes just to get an idea of how it was going to look. I also modelled the tapering pool that goes into the boxes.

This exercise was also really good in allowing me to see if my model fit into the site model. It was a tight fit so I now know to make my model a little smaller so it can go into the site model a little easier.

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