Distilling New Brighton

Waterfront urban landscapes reveal a striking discord between nature and architecture. Winds, tides and other patterns of nature are largely invisible where architecture has an opportunity to express them. The ocean fluctuates as a mass while modern architecture stands immobile with no indication of the transitional natural environment.

Waterfront urban peripheries provide a pertinent opportunity to invigorate urban fabric, through creating distinctive experiences by connecting with their unique patterns of fluctuation. These architectural opportunities can provide a space where inhabitants can reflect on their surrounding natural environment. Through spatially divulging patterns and sequences of nature’s fluctuation, strata of environmental material, generally imperceptible in our everyday lives, are uncovered.  

New Brighton in Christchurch is an urban waterfront area in critical demand of a design solution to solve the degradation of its commercial centre. The area has endured several adverse impacts from the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes.To regenerate New Brighton and demonstrate its unique qualities, the site needs to be brought to the forefront of its architecture by distilling the flux of its natural environment.