Repository logo
 

Fale Tupu : An Indigenous Toolkit for Designing Culturally Grounded Living Environments with Pasifika Communities in Aotearoa

Files

Exegesis(156.82 MB)

Date

2025

Authors

Lee Chee, Amelia

Supervisor

Lelaulu, Tuputau
Yates, Amanda

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Architecture (Professional)

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Fale Tupu is a design resource developed to address the enduring gap between Pasifika housing aspirations and the limited tools available to translate them into built form. It emerges as the primary output of this practice-led research project that reimagines how community housing for Pasifika families can be culturally grounded, adaptable and regenerative. Designed for use within the social housing sector, Fale Tupu provides a design toolkit through which cultural values can be directly embedded into design and delivery. The toolkit comprises four interconnected tools that guide housing providers and practitioners from principle to practice. The Maumoana Framework establishes a cultural–ecological compass, ensuring each project stage is grounded in reciprocity, kinship and care for place. Fale (house) Typologies, the incremental housing model, enables homes to expand and contract over time, reflecting the dynamic needs of multigenerational families. The Material Palette supports design decisions through affordable, durable, and low-maintenance options, alongside regenerative alternatives where budgets allow. Finally, Communal Wellbeing Spaces illustrate how homes may adapt and evolve over time to fit the needs of our aiga (families). Together, these tools translate Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Great Pacific Ocean) values into practice-ready design instruments for housing providers. Situated within the context of Pasifika housing providers (PHPs), Fale Tupu responds to a sector that operates at the intersection of cultural knowledge and state regulation. PHPs deliver social housing and wraparound wellbeing services yet remain constrained by policy, funding, and a lack of culturally specific design resources. This research directly addresses the absence of a design resource by offering tools that PHPs can use to guide architects, planners, and contractors while maintaining cultural integrity and community accountability. At a broader level, Fale Tupu contributes to both architectural research and practice by operationalising a Moananui-centred methodology. It advances the academic discourse on Indigenous regenerative design by demonstrating how theory can be transformed into actionable tools, bridging methodological innovation with spatial application. In practice, it offers a replicable framework through which housing providers can advocate for, design, and deliver culturally aligned, future-focused homes. Fale Tupu ultimately reframes housing as a living system, one that sustains identity, nurtures intergenerational relationships, and restores balance between people, place and environment.

Description

Keywords

Source

DOI

Publisher's version

Rights statement

Permanent link

http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21218

Collections

Masters Theses