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Sensitive Developments. The Role of Bluefield Reuse and Infill Development in Auckland Residential Suburbs

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Date

2025

Authors

Geddes, Abby

Supervisor

Besen, Priscila
Vallis, Stacy

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Architecture (Professional)

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

The classic Kiwi lifestyle has followed the concept of a single-family home on a quarter-acre section for generations after colonisation . However, with increasing housing needs, cost-of-living crises and environmental crises, we must question how we live and our actions as humans and design our homes to meet changing needs. Within the architecture and design industry, there is a tension between new construction and conservation. Some argue that new builds are the solution as they are designed and constructed using the latest technologies to meet the current housing densification needs. However, others argue that conserving the existing built environment and cultural heritage is more sustainable, using methods such as adaption and retrofit to bring buildings up to current standards. Conserving historic buildings through sustainable solutions is a way to avoid erasing quintessential New Zealand architecture styles from the rapidly evolving built environment. The traditional New Zealand villa is an example of existing housing stock that fills the central suburbs of New Zealand’s cities, which are now prime candidates for development to meet housing and densification needs. For buildings in existing suburbs with cultural and historical significance, a careful balance is needed between infill densification, building conservation and appropriate interventions. This poses the research question: How can interventions to existing residential buildings assist in contemporary infill development while maintaining existing neighbourhood character? This research proposes the use of Bluefield development solutions and architectural concepts such as adaptive reuse, retrofitting, relocation and infill development to create an architectural response that challenges the objectives behind building policy, reimagining the existing family home and how we can co-exist between heritage and modern living. The work aims to explore sensitive building solutions within Auckland, New Zealand, focusing on infill development and adaptive reuse. It examines adaptation, relocation, cooperative living and existing government policies and practices. By analysing how design research and practices exist under current local and government housing policies, this thesis aims to challenge the current understanding of these policies, exploring the physical and non-physical aspects of urban housing to understand new ways of living within current and future environments. This is explored by creating a design guide that assists in the site’s analysis and design process. The design guide is tested through a design project to reveal how Bluefield’s design and methodology can be used as a tool to create sensitive densification. The final design demonstrates a method to increase density eight times without demolishing structures or removing the existing nature. If implemented across other sites in the neighbourhood, it could substantially boost the number of homes while minimizing environmental and heritage impacts.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19308

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