Category: Uncategorized

This week my group continued with building the site model. We finished making the permanent parts of the Dadley building (the parts of the building we wont be designing into). Having these parts of the building site model gives our own individual design models more context when we go to present.

The first image (below left) shows the part of the building that is glued to the site model base. This is kept here so that you will be able to see our individual designs in the site model but it will also give it context.

The seond image (below right) shows the removable top level of the Dadley building. This is removable so that it doesn’t block our designs when presenting.

The last image (below center) includes the floors above the basement. This is removable so that it can be placed on top to see the building as a whole as well as so the interior of our designs can be seen.

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My ideas of washing and cleansing are rinsing myself with water. The idea of water running over something gives me the idea of cleansing and washing off. In my bath house, in order to keep the space hygienic, I want to provide a shower in which occupants can wash and cleanse their bodies before and after entering the baths. I decided to create a wall of water separating the entrance from the bathing area. This not only ensures that people cleanse their bodies as they walk through the stream of water but it also creates the calming and tranquil atmosphere I desire to create in the space.

This week we read the poem Rain by Hone Tuwhare (above). What I like about this poem is how Tuwhare describes the rain through his sense but he does it in a way that makes me visualise the rain in a different way.

Above are some abstract drawings I did in response to some of the verses n Tuwhare’s poem. I wanted to capture how I envisioned Tuwhare’s descriptions

This week were able to start modelling our group site model wince we were able to retrieve the measurements of the site. We started with the base of site, sculpting out the contours of the land with reused cardboard. From here, we cut into the base, cutting out the shape of the building. We made sure to cut down deep enough to allow us to put pools in the ground where we want to in our own bathhouse designs. We also cut out the width of the overhang of the building into the courtyard space to allow people to design into there if they choose to. This part of the courtyard isn’t a permeable surface meaning that if we design into it, it wont affect break the flow and connection between the land and the sky in the pocket forest.

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Although not shown in the photo, we decided to remove the top two layers of the contours in the courtyard to flatten it out as the courtyard as been flattened out in the process of building the building. If we were to keep this elevation, we would have to source the soil from elsewhere, increasing our carbon footprint in the process.

This week we revisited the site to measure both the interior and exterior (below).

From here, we were able to record our measurements on our site plan. This is really important as we can now come back to the site plan as a reference when designing in the space and making our site model. It is also good to have a more accurate site plan.

We also extended the contours of the site to get a better understanding of the form of the land when we come to make our site model. We used the Auckland Council GeoMaps as a reference point (https://geomapspublic.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/viewer/index.html).

One of my most memorable bathing experiences was up north in some natural thermal pools on someones property. The baths consisted of holes dug in the ground that were lined with wooden planks. The water was so dark I couldn’t see my hands under he water. It was an odd and almost uncomfortable experience as it was night and we were surrounded by strangers but by the time we left, we had talked to a gotten to know people we may have never talked to otherwise. Bathing experiences are often a social and in public pools, communal. In my design, I want to look into how I can create social connections within the space. Society has become increasingly private but I want to create a comfortable and calming atmosphere in the space even though it is a communal space. I want to enhance the social connections we often miss living in today’s world.

This week we did some research into the types of native flora and fauna found in the area surrounding our site. We also did some research into what native plants attract different native animals, birds and insects.

We found that trees that would best grow on the site included titoki as they best grow in places sheltered from the wind, rewarewa as they grow best in well-drained soils (our site largely on a slope), porokaiwhiri (Pigeonwood) as they attract birds such as kereru with their fruit (https://teara.govt.nz/en/shrubs-and-small-trees-of-the-forest/page-2), puriri as it has creates a strong mauritanga by supplying food and shelter to many native New Zealand animals and insects like the puriri moth, kawakawa as its leaves providefood for insects and its fruit attract kereru and geckos, and also ti ngahere (cabbage tree). Altough they are rear in the city, they are very common in Grafton Gulley which is very close to our site.

When researching, we also found other native New Zealand tress such as the kohekohe but decided to not include it in our pocket forest as possums love it. Our research has allowed us to understand what trees and plants need to be used in order to create a vibrant and diverse ecosystem that encourages native animals, birds and insects to come to and make the pocket forest their home.

This week we looked into the Te Aranga Design Principles and how they can be implemented in our own designs of the bathhouse. These are some of the principles and how I would consider them when designing my bathhouse.

Kotahitanga: This is the idea of unity, cohesion and collaboration. In my design, I want to emphasize the kotahitanga between the outside natural environment of the pocket forest as well and the interior of the bathhouse. I would probably go about this by creating openings into the forest to allow the harmony and peace to flow into the space.

Wairuatanga: This is the idea of being a part of a wider interconnected realm. In my design, I am considering the connection between Papatuanuku (Mother Earth) and Ranginui (Sky Father) by not breaking the connection between the two in my pocket forest. I will ensure that my pocket forest remains a permeable surface allowing the low and connection between Papatuanuku and Ranginui.

Manaakitanga: This is the idea of being hospitable. To ensure good manaakitanga in my design, I will include a refreshments stand as well as offering comfortable facilities such as toilets, showers and private changing rooms.

Kaitiakitanga: This is the idea of conserving the reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural environment. I want to ensure that when I design I design alongside and with the surrounding natural environment (including the pocket forest) and not against it. I will consider my carbon footprint in each of my design choices.

Mauritanga: This is the idea of maintaining life force in order to protect the environment. Important considerations in my design will include drainage and how to go about this without polluting the surrounding environment. I will also look into the best way for the environment to heat the pools if I decide to have heated pools. A really important consideration will be the cleaning chemicals. I will look into how I can keep naturally keep the pools clean and hygienic to avoid using strong chemicals that could hurt the surrounding environment.

Kengo Kuma is a Japanese architect. What peaked my interest in Kuma was his Horai Onsen Bath House (below). I really liked how open the bath was to the surrounding forest. I am wanting to integrate my own pocket forest into my design. I want the interior and exterior of my bathhouse to be one entity. Also, his use of simple and natural materials such as wood helps in integrating the surrounding forest into his design. I like how simple yet effective the design is. 

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Kuma, K. (2003). Horai Onsen Bath House. Atami-shi, Shizuoka, Japan.

https://kkaa.co.jp/works/architecture/horai-onsen-bath-house/

Another bath onsen design by Kuma that interested me was his Ginzan Onsen Hot Spring Bath House. What I liked about this design was the atmosphere it created through sensory, especially light. Kuma uses both the natural surroundings and artificial light to form the shadows and reflections that create the open, exposed and modern atmosphere. With this design I am more interested in the light quality and effect rather than the bath itself as this is a defining feature and I also want to experiment with lighting to create a calming atmosphere in my own design.

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Kuma, K. (2001). Ginzan Onsen Hot Spring Bath House. Obanazawa-shi, Yamagata, Japan.

https://kkaa.co.jp/works/architecture/ginzan-bath-house/

There is a large history around bathhouses internationally. Many different cultures have rituals and traditions when it comes to bathing experiences. New Zealand saw its first public bathhouse (the Tepid Baths) in 1860. Bathing was often a public occurrence at this point in history as many people did not have their own baths in their homes. This public style of bathing in New Zealand was a response to the colonization of the country and Western culture being implemented (Dave Pearson Architect Limited. (2008, February). The Tepid Baths, Auckland: A Conservation Plan.).

Turkish baths, known as hammamas, are probably one of the most well known cultural bathing experiences in the modern world. The Turkish hammam became popular in the 7th Century. The purpose for the ritual and experience is “for purifying body and soul” (https://handsonturkish.com/visiting-a-turkish-hammam/). Traditionally, you are bathed by another person. I find it interesting how although this challenges our modern ideas of privacy and intimacy, it is still a popular and common practice by many people. In the hammam you are scrubbed and massaged by an attendant. Because I am designing a public bathhouse, I am definitely interested in looking into the traditions of communal bathing and how it works.

Japanese onsen are the baths of the natural springs thoughout Japan. What intrigues me about the onsen is my knowledge of the health benefits of natural thermal springs. According to BBC Travel “the practice of soaking in these thermal baths for healing, spirituality and rejuvenation stems back to when Buddhism spread to Japan in the 500s.” (http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20121129-the-origins-of-bathhouse-culture-around-the-world). Because of their natural form, there is a long history behind the onsen. Another interesting thing about the onsen is how physically exposing the tradition is. It is compulsory to experience the onsen in the nude which, similar to the Turkish hammam, challenges the ideas of privacy and intimacy.

One other bathing experience that I found interesting and very different from other cultural bathing rituals was the Native American sweat lodges. The ritual takes place in a dome-like tent or hut where hot rocks are placed in the center. Over the course of the ritual, water is periodically poured onto the rocks creating a steamy atmosphere in the dwelling. The ritual is very spiritual based with offerings made to the spirits throughout. Anthropologist Raymond A Bucko explains in his book The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge that “the Native American sweat experience, a ceremony expressly and wholly focused on the spiritual, pushes both the body and the mind to its limits. Suffering for the sake of moral strengthening is one important theme that permeates throughout the sweat lodge.” (http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20121129-the-origins-of-bathhouse-culture-around-the-world). Unlike other cultural bathing experiences, the sweat lodge ritual takes place over several hours in 30 minute intervals.

Something I found interesting and common in many of the bathing ritual was that the bathhouses were experienced by all; all classes and ages are welcome in many of the cultural bathing traditions. They were also all communally experienced as well which challenges the western cultural ideas of bathing privately. From this research, I want to take away the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of bathing and explore how I can implement these larger ideas around bathing (rather than just cleansing the skin) into my own design.