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Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The contents of this dissertation explores the renovation of Noah’s hotel which was left abandoned after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. With the current state of New Zealand as of now, rent prices plummeting, and the ongoing mass emigration proves the country’s increased cost of living. A trend of ‘hidden homelessness’ in the forms of couch surfing and overcrowding tenancies evinces a mass economic displacement. This thesis is driven by means of speculation and of hope that by utilising Christchurch’s dilapidated sites can be transformed into safe havens for those evicted. Guided by the six principles of heterotopia introduced by Michel Foucault, the proposed co-living hotel determines to attest societal perception of hotels, and introduce a reality that alleviates a community from political and economical instability. In terms of Christchurch’s landscape, the hotel itself lies within Maltese Cross, layout planned in 1850 which defines the CBD’S unique urbanscape. Historic landmarks and erected projects use the cross as a guide in tandem with legislative policies strictly imposing the importance of view protection for heritage buildings - a notion made compulsory especially after the earthquake. By taking inspiration from Gordon Matta-Clark’s methodology of Conical Intersects, voids through the building act as viewshafts, each introducing key sites important to Christchurch. These voids simultaneously house integral communal areas and narrates a timeline of Ōtautahi’s crucial events

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

Mechanistic and scientific approaches to resilience assume that there is a “tipping point” at which a system can no longer absorb adversity; after this point, it is liable to collapse. Some of these perspectives, particularly those stemming from ecology and psychology, recognise that individuals and communities cannot be perpetually resilient without limits. While the resilience paradigm has been imported into the social sciences, the limits to resilience have often been disregarded. This leads to an overestimation of “human resourcefulness” within the resilience paradigm. In policy discourse, practice, and research, resilience seems to be treated as a “limitless” and human quality in which individuals and communities can effectively cope with any hazard at any time, for as long as they want and with any people. We critique these assumptions with reference to the recovery case in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand following the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquake sequence. We discuss the limits to resilience and reconceptualise resilience thinking for disaster risk reduction and sustainable recovery and development