SHAC Turns Spotlight on Micro-Architecture Solutions

Temporary architecture, reuse of materials, community building and simple buildings are the themes of the 2nd annual Sustainable Habitat Challenge micro-architecture workshop, to be held at the CPSA building at CPIT on 2 and 3 May.

Christchurch builders, designers, architects, engineers and community members will discuss ideas, deliver presentations and facilitate workshops at the event, which brings together some ideas for the city’s community-led regeneration.

Presenters including Mark Fielding, Juliet Arnott, Joshua Durrant, Jessica Halliday and Claire Benge will ask pertinent questions such as: What is permanent in our post-earthquake city? Using examples such as the Cardboard Cathedral and the Convention Centre – how long will Christchurch’s buildings serve us and how can international examples inspire us?

In San Francisco, for example, the Palace of Fine Arts was built in 1915 as a temporary building for the Panama-Pacific Exposition and still stands today as an icon of the city. However, as 2012 Pritzker Architecture prizewinner Wang Shu has said, “People cherish their culture through recycling”.

The demolition of red stickered housing and CBD buildings does not mean the wholesale eradication of Christchurch’s history or culture, but how can we reuse and recycle materials to incorporate local memories and fuse the past with the present?

Entry is by sliding scale koha, and is free for students and young people. To attend simply register at www.micro-architecture.shac.org.nz

ENDS

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