A photograph of people (including three 'All Righties') posing with large coloured signs. The signs have various compliments on them, directed at the people of Canterbury. All Right? posted the photograph on their Facebook page on 17 December 2013 at 10:25am.
A photograph of an 'All Rightie' delivering All Right? Winter Survival Kits to a Christchurch work place. There is an All Right? Free Compliments poster pinned to the wall. All Right? posted the photograph on their Facebook page on 1 August 2014 at 6:00am.
A photograph of an All Right? billboard on Moorhouse Avenue. The billboard reads, "Reasons we love Canterbury: 9999 x lots and lots. Share what makes you feel All Right: fb.com/alrightnz". The background of the billboard includes various responses by Canterbury residents.
A photograph of an All Right? billboard in Bishopdale Park. The heading reads, "You're more fun than the elephant slide." All Right? posted the photograph on their Facebook page on 18 December 2013 at 9:53am.
A PDF copy of postcards which were handed out by 'All Righties' at the 2014 SCIRT World Buskers Festival in Hagley Park. On the each postcard is a unique compliment, such as, "You're cooler than pirates and ninja combined." On the reverse is the entry details to the All Right? Buskers Festival competition for a family holiday to Hanmer Springs.
A photograph of an illuminated All Right? billboard near AMI Stadium. The photograph was used as a cover photo on the All Right? Facebook page on 13 March 2014 at 4:41pm.
A PDF copy of four thank you cards for All Right? volunteers. On the first card, the front of the card reads, "You're the cat's pyjamas." The middle of the card reads, "Go on... Enjoy a wee cafe pick-me-up on us!" The back of the card reads, "Being grateful for the small things can make a big difference to our relationships and the way we feel".
A PDF copy of four thank you cards for All Right? volunteers. On the first card, the front of the card reads, "You're the cat's pyjamas." The middle of the card is blank. The back of the card reads, "Being grateful for the small things can make a big difference to our relationships and the way we feel".
A PDF copy of five postcards for the SCIRT World Buskers Festival 2014. Each postcard encouraged people to post something about the festival on Facebook to enter a prize draw for a family escape to Hanmer Springs.
A video showing customers at the Z Curletts Road petrol station being 'compliment bombed' by All Right? on 17th of December 2013. The video depicts 'All Right FM' (a fake radio station), setting up at Z and surprising customers with compliments as they filled up with petrol. Dancing 'All Righties' and All Right? staff members including Ciaran Fox emerge from the store, providing the customers with coffee, flowers and free petrol.
The demand for a new approach to safeguarding New Zealand’s endangered historic buildings was identified as a result of the recent increase in building code and strengthening requirements following the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011. The Wellington City Council identified 266 heritage buildings in the city that must be either strengthened or demolished to address these increased requirements. This thesis explores this threat as an opportunity for researching how contemporary design interventions can be challenged to both strengthen and become active participants in the ongoing history of New Zealand’s potentially endangered historic buildings. This thesis challenges the current approach of completely ‘restoring’ 19th-20th century historic buildings in New Zealand, to develop techniques that structurally reinforce historic buildings while inviting the progressive weathering of a building to remain as a testament to its history. This thesis proposes a structural intervention that is responsive to the progressive history of historic buildings, simultaneously introducing a contemporary structural intervention that both participates in and compliments the progressive historic transformations of the vehicle. This thesis argues that current historic buildings in semi-decayed states in fact enable visitors to witness multiple stages in the life of a building, while fully restored buildings only enable visitors to witness the original form of the building. This thesis proposes a model for contemporary intervention within historic buildings that draws a design intervention from seismic strengthening.The notion of layering is explored as a design approach to incorporate the contemporary with the historic as an additional layer of exposed on-going history, thereby further exposing the layers of history evident within New Zealand’s historic buildings. This thesis combines layering theories of architects Louis Kahn and Carlo Scarpa with related theories of installation artist Mary Miss. The theoretical imperatives of Scarpa and Kahn are explored as a tool of engagement for the junction between the contemporary and historic building materials, and the work of Marry Miss is explored as a design approach for developing a contemporary intervention that references the layered historic building while inviting new means of occupancy between layers. The selected vehicle for the design research investigation is the Albemarle Hotel on Ghuznee Street in Wellington. The techniques proposed in this thesis to strengthen the Albemarle Hotel suggest an approach that might be applied to New Zealand’s wider body of historic buildings that constitute New Zealand’s heritage fabric, ultimately protecting them from demolition while preserving additional layers of their historic narratives. Over all the design research experiments suggest that contemporary interventions derived from structural strengthening may be a viable and cost-effective method of re-inhabiting New Zealand’s endangered heritage buildings, avoiding demolition and securing New Zealand’s heritage for future generations. Research Questions: This thesis challenges the current economically unsustainable approach of laterally reinforcing and completely ‘restoring’ 19th-20th century historic buildings in New Zealand. This thesis argues that current historic buildings in semi-decayed states in fact enable visitors to witness multiple stages in the on-going life of a building. Can the weathered state of New Zealand's heritage buildings be proactively retained and celebrated as witnesses to their history? Can new lateral reinforcing requirements be conceived as active participants in revealing the on-going history of New Zealand's historic buildings?