Harmonising History

New Zealand was a recently established colony with its governance under the British Crown by the 1870s, and was beginning to become aware of its vulnerability to enemy attack with its lack of coastal defence structures. There was a growing threat from Russia following the Crimean War, and New Zealand knew it would be an easy target for a potential invasion. The New Zealand government realised it could not solely rely on Britain for protection, and following a series of scares from the Russians, decided to fortify its shores to safeguard the main ports. They were erected in Auckland, Wellington, Port Chalmers and Lyttelton, and consisted of observation posts, bunkers and gun installations, etc. In Wellington, forts were erected at Point Gordon, Point Halswell and Kaiwarrawarra. Fort Ballance, situated at Point Gordon and constructed in 1885, stands as one of the most significant coastal defence structures in New Zealand as it is one of the most well-preserved forts of the nineteenth century. Fort Ballance continued to be armed during the First World War, however, it was retired in 1925 due to the outdated guns. It saw a brief revival during World War Two, but didn’t serve any real purpose after that, returning to the abandoned state we see today. The efforts to fortify were a reaction to a threat that never came, their efforts left to erode, to be claimed back by the hills and forgotten. Many historic fortifications share a similar story, many stories slowly losing to time. This thesis revives the forgotten stories of the site by designing an architectural intervention that draws upon the site’s lost geometries, narrative elements, and the atmospheric essence that remains. The resulting experiential space, integrated with the existing structure, serves as a tool to acknowledge and engage with the past. The design-led research employs a range of planning strategies informed by key authors, and techniques to convey the site’s narrative and affective qualities, culminating in an additive intervention. Layering is employed as a critical design technique, synthesising these elements to create a cohesive architectural outcome.