Design for a Restless Landscape

In the June issue of Outlines we discussed the issue of climate change and the increasing threat of sea level rise on large urban centres like Auckland and Wellington.

Since then S&T Principal Bernd Gundermann, a Professional Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland, led a seminar for Masters students at the School of Architecture and Planning tackling this relevant issue. The challenge he posed to students was to envisage Auckland in one hundred years time with a significant rise in sea level and then to propose ways to reshape selected coastal areas.

The class explored the outcomes of recent research, primarily at Princeton University and Duke University in the United States. These studies reveal differing approaches. The Princeton studies focus more on the resilience of the metropolitan centres through the use of soft interventions along the shoreline, while the Duke studies recommend a retreat from affected coastal areas. Essentially it becomes a decision between ‘fight or flight’ in the face of relentless natural forces.

Scientific data from Dr. Mark Dickson, a prolific geomorphologist from the School of Environment at the University of Auckland, provided some perspective on the issue of climate change, going back more than 20,000 years to when the sea was 120 meters below where it is today. Science shows that the surface of our planet is ever-changing, subject to forces of erosion which are far beyond our abilities to influence or control. Four options therefore emerge for dealing with sea level rise:

• Do nothing
• Hard engineering: ”Hold the line!”
• Soft engineering: “Advance the line!”
• Retreat and relocate: “Retreat the line!”

Seminar students chose to apply the latter two concepts, and their response was both refreshing and engaging. Having grown up in an increasingly mobile lifestyle, their individual visions show adaptive and flexible ideas. Solutions ranged from the pragmatic to those almost verging on science fiction. They are a demonstration of the power of unrestrained thinking applied to a potentially devastating problem. How encouraging it is to see young minds seeking opportunities for growth and change, rather than being intimidated by the problems and challenges facing the planet! These case studies envisage an urban future behind safe coastlines and strengthen New Zealand’s leadership in the worldwide efforts to meet the challenge of climate change.

“It is encouraging that the emerging generation of architects, witnesses of the disasters of Christchurch, are open to take our urban culture to the next level. Driven rather by their adventurous spirit than by despair, they have evidenced that they can assess the problem and tackle it on a professional level. All of them love Auckland, their hometown, but they’re able to envisage a new vessel for urban life beyond the threat of climate change and sea level rise. Having seen their results I’m far from being afraid, I’m looking forward to sea level rise!” – Bernd Gundermann

We continue to welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can create environments for the future.  For more information, please contact Bernd Gundermann at 09 914 6093 or bgundermann@stephensonturner.com.