This is an outdoor pavilion design for the Arataki Visitor Centre, situated at the entrance to the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland. By transforming the ground level of the building, the pavilion uses the underfloor of the Waitakere forest as its natural backdrop, providing an intimate yet powerful welcome into the ranges.
The energies of all living things carry themselves in the land it has lived on. For Maori the connection they have with these energies trace back to the gods who created their world. These Maori philosophical ideas lie in the void created by the tension between light and dark, day and night or even life and death. Places like the Waitakere, thus become repositories of the rich histories, cultures and memories which inhabit that void in between. For this intervention for the Arataki Visitor Centre, I have acknowledged these life forces and designed an outdoor pavilion providing a place for new tourists as well as the local people, so that they feel welcomed, protected and can be present in the cultural contexts they exist within.
The pavilion stands with two ‘wings’ and an apex, pointing to key water sources for Te Kawerau a Maki. The left wing points to the Nihotupu Reservoir and the right wing points further out to Te Henga (Bethells Beach). The apex of the pavilion points to Arataki itself - the gateway into the Waitakere. This rest of the design follows this shape continuously connecting the pavilion design and the site together. It also pays homage to the ancestors of Te Kawerau a Maki. Upon entry, six thick posts guard the pavilion, acting as metaphorical ‘figure heads’ for the six core ancestors of Te Kawerau from the pou. The visitors who approach the space in turn play the dual roles of a stranger who must respect the space before entering and of a welcomed occupant who is protected once inside.
Acting as the ‘bones’ of past ancestors, thin vertical posts filter throughout the space. The exhibition of fauna provides a spatial experience which the visitors can weave around and view. The sculptures are an opportunity to educate visitors on the species which live within the forest floor. I have placed lights on the floor of the design, which illuminate the space around the sculptures, allowing the visitors to also circulate around the pavilion at night. The end of the pavilion leads the visitor to a seating area, where they are invited to sit and be present with the energies of past ancestors and the geographical contexts they stand with.
