At Home with a View: Exploring Notions of Landscape

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to gain an understanding of the role and value of a view of landscape with respect to the interior of New Zealand houses. It explores the all-or-nothing manner in which contemporary architecture presents surrounding scenery. Through a translation of New Zealand landscape paintings, it presents alternative approaches for connecting the interior and exterior of a house in such a way that can enhance both the experience of a view and a house. In doing so this thesis contends that artistic themes and techniques can enrich views of landscapes, especially of nature, through the architecture of New Zealand houses. This thesis employs three research approaches to achieve its aim. The first research section, a literature review, provides an examination of historical and contemporary western attitudes towards a view. This confirms that much of western society has learnt to appreciate and benefit from, a view, and that the nature of people's response is deeply ingrained. The second section focuses on domestic views in both international and Wellington houses. Each study is analysed to gain understanding of the design strategies in respect to architectural presentations of a view. The last section pursues a more integrated designresearch approach, separated in two parts. Firstly, it explores a possible connection between the artistic treatment of landscape paintings and architectural treatments of houses. Four spaces are presented as studio residences for artists, focusing on four very different characteristics of land. Secondly, two further house designs are developed which employ techniques produced from the first design part as well as research from the previous sections. It aims to present two opposite spatial approaches to a depiction of surrounding landscape in an architectural design, one that presents a single view to look at and one that presents a series of views to engage with. This final design section explores the above contention. It presents how a connection between landscape art and architecture can offer guidance to the way in which a view is experienced from New Zealand homes. This is achieved on a theoretical as well as practical level, generating a range of techniques for further exploration.