2016

From Papakāinga to Co-living: An architectural discussion of the communal

Marischka Lieshout

Food For Thought Landscape
Islands and societies individuality

Communal living arrangements schism from the Anglo-american norm and begin to form architectural dichotomies, of the collective and individual, the private and public, islands and land-masses, urban and rural. This thesis examines these issues across various forms of communal living within New Zealand and abroad, weaving together this author's personal experience with communal living, in order to investigate how communal archetypes may blur boundaries and foster a sense of ‘collectiveness’ amongst inhabitants. This personal experience emerges from this author’s extended family’s holiday environment, a community of baches situated on Kawau Island. This comprises several related households and families, who come together for a length of time, sharing an array of facilities, activities and responsibilities, and these experiences drive this thesis’s investigation and design project. 

Methods of living communally instil a sense of community within their associated society, something we are losing with the continued focus on the individual. A community that fosters a sense of the collective is dependent on the community's communal intentions. Permeable boundaries, flexible and shared spaces are architectural aspects of communal living that could be applied to a beach community archetype in an effort to re-establish a bach architecture. A bach architecture suggests a more open and informal nature compared to that of that of a holiday home (that is typically a show of money and ownership). 


Should the nuclear family household be where family ends or should it extend past those boundaries? Could archetypes used in communal living be applied to a beach community architecture that enables the reinvigoration of community and other?

 
Crayfish
Hunting and Gathering
Beach
Central point of congregation
Layout Page 03
The convergence of individuals coming together as one
Circulation
Moments which occur through points of transition
Bedroom View
The Flexibility of bedrooms
Areas Of Importance
The communal
Pavilion
The Pavilion, A structure which facilitates the expansion and contraction of the community
Section With Pavilion
Site Section