The Pasture

The intensification of dairy farming in New Zealand has resulted in substantial environmental repercussions, with economic and ecological burdens disproportionately affecting the wider population, contradicting the industry’s ‘clean green’ narrative for profit maximisation. This research proposes architectural innovation to bolster dairy farming sustainability, biodiversity, and community engagement, aligning with New Zealand’s environmental ethos while mitigating the industry’s ecological footprint. The study aims to present dairy farming as integral to Aotearoa’s identity by seamlessly integrating the natural environment with constructed dairy farm elements within a comprehensive ecological system.

This thesis investigates how literary narrative design strategies can be applied to the built environment, emphasising the natural environment as a crucial component within the broader landscape.

The aim of this design-led investigation is to explore how to re-present the built and natural realms as dynamic participants of a greater environmental system. The thesis proposes an architectural solution for a self-sustainable working dairy farm that is both realisable and speculative to enhance the general public’s awareness of the importance of the pastoral identity of dairy farms.