Plain and Simple

The regional city of Hastings sits inland on the flat Heretaunga plains, robbed of the benefit of a significant natural feature. The city is formed in a grid structure, parallel to the outskirts of the rolling hills; Te Mata Peak and the distant Kaweka Ranges. The urban edge is immediately framed by a patchwork quilt of orchards, vineyards and paddocks. The beauty of Hawke’s Bay, resides outside of the city. The dominating visual presence within the city is the Wattie’s factory. An industrial eyesore, and spatial anomaly within the grid. The factory site spans a kilometre through the centre of the city, adjacent to a derelict railway yard. Its existence creates a physical obstruction to the wider landscape and limits pedestrian connections within the city. This project takes an architectural-urban approach to re-purpose the Wattie’s site as a means to revitalise a regional city. This project dreams of urban possibilities to give height, density, and connection back to a city where horizontal suburban sprawl is prioritised. How can an existing central industrial site be repurposed to revitalise a regional city?