Architectural Absence

This research through design addresses the growing need for solitude, stillness, and connection to vast natural spaces by exploring the intangible heritage of Awaroa / Godley Head…Taking this location as a testing ground for architectural dialogue, the project seeks to create a series of architectural interventions that evoke the former past of the site, that explore typological precedent, and that address a perceived disconnect within the existing architecture around the site.

The objective is to make the history of the place visible and tangible in a way that allows people to respond emotionally.

The project engages with the history, landscape, memories, and narratives of the site, and investigates the distinctionbetween a new intervention and a heritage artefact.

Drawing on the framework of Swiss Architect Peter Zumthor, who stimulates an emotional awareness of the history of a place through his architecture, a triad of design outcomes are developed that aim to evoke emotions powerful enough to move visitors beyond their usual mode of passive perception, and to acquire a deeper understanding of the site.

Through this process, an architecture of reverence is developed that harmonises these elements and offers a new experience of place.