A House For Trees

Biodiversity loss is accelerating at a devastating rate, primarily driven by factors of climate change, loss of habitat, urbanisation, invasive species and pollution. Human activity is considered to be a major contributor to this loss of biodiversity, humans therefore must take on the responsibility to mitigate any damages to our natural environment.

Wellington is known to be a natural and biophilic city, however this level of green-space is minimal within the city centre. Typically, an increase of nature would be explored through new or repurposed urban green space designed under the direction of landscape architects, ecologists or conservationists. This thesis proposes that nature within the urban context is increased through architecture, rather than the typical approach of landscape, seeking to investigate the question of how can we design architecture to facilitate biodiversity?

This question has been investigated with a design-led research methodology. Three different phases of the design were explored to understand how architecture can facilitate biodiversity.

Firstly, it explores a concept design which only accommodates biodiversity.

Secondly, the design is explored through the human experience, how one would use the space and how humans interact with the surrounding nature.

Thirdly, a development of the design concerning critical feedback was undertaken to push the boundaries of how we currently design and connecting to surrounding sites through interventions of green space. Resulting in a residential, architectural design which becomes a part of the needed increase of green space.