24 hour design competition envisages a storm-ravaged Tāmaki Makaurau in 2040
Much of the design competition took place at the Sustainable Coastlines headquarters in Wynyard Quarter.
Marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti and masking tape were the construction materials of choice for team-building tower building at the start of the competition.
The University of Auckland was just one of many host venues throughout the 24 hours.
Multimedia presentations take place at Mr Murdoch’s on Fort Street.
This year’s judges were Bill McKay (Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau), Lindy Ewart (Principal, Ministry of Architecture + Interiors) and Adam Nixon (Technical Sales Representative, Sika New Zealand).
On a slightly damp Saturday in mid-July, 85 architecture students from across Aotearoa New Zealand descended on the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau to participate in the Student Architecture Network of New Zealand's (SANNZ) annual 24hr Design Competition. Sahil Tiku describes how the teams were put through their paces.
Seventeen teams made up of bright-eyed students met at Fort Street venue Little Easy for some biology/engineering-based team building to kickstart the challenge. Groups were given 10 minutes to create the most out-of-this-world (pun intended) aliens they could possibly envision. Some crazy creatures were born from this exercise: building eaters, carbon monoxide breathers, and a benevolent pizza box overlord named Dominique to name a few.
Kicking off the structural side of things, teams were given marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti and masking tape. We challenged them to create the tallest tower possible within 20 minutes – and the outcomes would have made any structural engineer squirm. At stake were copies of Here magazine and secret competition advantages, to be revealed Sunday morning.
Before being sent back to the University, designers were given their brief: In a post-climate change 2040, Supreme Leader of the Republic Jacinda Ardern is commissioning a series of new structures for a storm ravaged Tāmaki Makaurau. Drawing typologies and design constraints from hats, teams were free to site their proposals anywhere in the city – and many took to the mountains. We asked them to explore and explain architectural, artistic and socio-political themes through a whimsical lens. Constraints ranged from Dr Seuss to turning everything upside down, in contrast to Serious Typologies like schools or government headquarters.
Saturday night kicked off at the University, with the All Blacks’ unfortunate loss to Ireland providing a backdrop to a collection of burgeoning design responses. Scattered across studio spaces littered with drop sheets, sugar and sketchpads, ideas began to grow as students who met merely hours before came together and did what we do best — design. Loaded up with Resene paints and Red Bull, many teams chose to work through the night after being sent home at 11pm.
Sunday started late at 9am. A special thank you to Sustainable Coastlines, who graciously provided their headquarters, the Flagship at Wynyard Quarter, as our venue in a not-for-profit nod of solidarity. Teams traipsed in, some bleary-eyed, some bushy-tailed. Of course, design is a masterclass in adaptation so, at 10:30am that morning, we threw them their curveball: With Jacinda Ardern signing a new intergalactic treaty, they now had to redesign their structures to promote cohabitation with the aliens they had created yesterday. The winning team from the marshmallow competition was given the chance to swap around the aliens, throwing yet another spanner in the works.
At 4:30pm, it was knives down. The smorgasbord of venues challenged teams to consider portability in presentation and heads certainly turned on the trek along North Wharf and the Viaduct. Teams made their way to Fort Street venue Mr Murdoch’s, where a bar tab, judging panel and prizegiving waited. Even with all we threw at them, the outcomes produced by these young designers were a testament to architectural education today; skillful multimedia presentations balanced serious political commentary with galactic whimsy. The future is bright, and possibly populated by building-eating extraterrestrials!
The 24hr competition is SANNZ’s largest calendar event and it comes back bigger and better every year. It (and SANNZ) is organised by students, for students. For more information on this year’s competition and the SANNZ kaupapa (or to get involved), visit us at sannz.org.
Thank you to our judging panel:
- Lindy Ewart: Principal, Ministry of Architecture + Interiors
- Bill McKay: Senior Lecturer, The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau
- Adam Nixon: Technical Sales Representative, Sika New Zealand
Congratulations to our winning teams:
- 1st place – Team 15: Kimberly Fernandes (UoA), Harry Jeon (Unitec), Rachel Lin (UoA), Christopher Nansen (Unitec), Kelly Ting (UoA)
- 2nd place – Team 5: Theresa Margaret Epton (Ara), Niamh Mortimer-Semple (Ara), Rachel Ogbuze (UoA), Matthew Pritchard (UoA), Trisha Shahane (UoA)
- 3rd place – Team 12: Aukuso Mauga Esekia (Unitec), Alex Harrison (Unitec), Gregory Mann (UoA), Dream Park (UoA), Rina Zhang (UoA)
And a massive thank you to our 2022 sponsors, without whom this incredible event would not be possible:
- Here magazine
- Original Foods Baking Co.
- Red Bull
- Resene
- Sika Group New Zealand
- Sustainable Coastlines
- Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects
- Thermosash Building Envelope Solutions
- Viking Roofspec
Finally, a special thank you to SANNZ Unitec and SUPA (Students of Urban Planning and Architecture) – your organisational assistance and manpower were both essential and appreciated.
Sahil Tiku is the SANNZ National Representative (based at the University of Auckland).
