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By William Van Zyl (Published 24 August 2023).
Has your world been turned upside-down at some point?
Look at the innovative and creative ideas in this article. What do you see? What ideas do you have? What would it be if I asked you to develop a unique idea or concept for a spatial design? How can Māori shapes, forms, patterns and colours be embedded in a spatial design?
That is the question teachers of Design and Visual Communication (DVC) will ask their students next year (2024). Why? Because they will be doing a new curriculum in New Zealand (High School context). Designers, architects, artists, teachers, and students will benefit from this article.
Table of Contents
Look at the CAMERA OBSCURA, created by three different people – a photographer, a sculptor, and an architect.
The Whangārei Camera Obscura is an interactive sculpture on the Hātea Loop walk (Whangarei – New Zealand). A camera obscura is a darkened room with a small hole or lens at one side through which an image is projected onto a wall or table opposite the hole. Visitors can enter the shell-like structure to find a surprising “upside-down projection room” inside showing the celebrated Bascule bridge, Te Matau ā Pohe and its surroundings, complete with vehicles, boats, people, scudding clouds and flowing water. The attraction offers visitors and residents simple yet wonderful phenomena of light projection and educational opportunities. Visitors can adjust the image using a movable aperture on the wall of the camera obscura. It is one of only a handful of obscura sculptures worldwide and is among the largest. Credit: https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Community-Facilities/Timatatanga-Hou-Camera-Obscura
Link to video: https://youtu.be/qzK4nPsoQb4?feature=shared
A full view of the sculpture. Credit: Whangarei District Council. YouTube.
Here are the people involved in this great project :
The Whangārei Camera Obscura was a community-led project designed and project managed by three Whangārei creatives from 2016 – 2020:
- Photographer – Diane Stoppard
- Architect – Felicity Christian
- Sculptor – Trish Clarke.
This resource focuses on a blended Māori and Western (Christian/Modern) architectural approach. Links to the new New Zealand Curriculum Design and Visual Communication NCEA Level 1 – spatial design (architectural design).
What is a pinhole camera or camera obscura?
The camera obscura or pinhole camera is the simplest image-forming system. It consists of a closed box with a pinhole on one side. As shown, an inverted image is cast on the opposite side of the box. Credit: https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Optics/BSc_Optics_%28Konijnenberg_Adam_and_Urbach%29/03%3A_Optical_Instruments/3.02%3A_The_Camera_Obscura
Introduction:
I will start with the traditional Maori model. The ‘Te Whare Tapa Wha’ model is a holistic framework used by the Māori people to address health and well-being. When applied to architectural design, this model emphasises several key aspects rooted in Maori culture.
Credit: NZ Health Education Association.
Keywords:
- Te Whare Tapa Wha model
- Maori culture
- Spiritual connection
- Ancestral stories
- Local materials
- Environmental harmony
- Practical application
- Marae design
- Cultural heritage
- Modernist architecture
- Industrial materials
- Ornamentation
- Connection to environment
- Cultural narratives
- Camera obscura
- Pinhole camera
- Modernism in Architecture
- Le Corbusier
- Villa Savoye
- Camera Obscura (Whangarei NZ)
- Christianity
Spirituality (Wairua):
Māori architecture honours the spiritual connection between the physical and spiritual realms. Buildings often incorporate intricate carvings and designs that tell ancestral stories and depict spiritual symbols. These elements serve to create a sacred space that resonates with the spiritual essence of the land and its people.
“Tomb of Huriwenua, a late chief of the Nga Ti Toa tribe, Queen Charlotte’s Sound. Courtesy of George French Angas and The Auckland Art Gallery. Public Domain.
Christianity and the Māori:
As New Zealand was colonized relatively late, the Māori, as a general practice, held onto many aspects of their original faith. Periods of cultural suppression and integration with the broader New Zealand society have, at times, weakened the sanctity of the tapu system. The extensive knowledge held by the tohungas, traditionally passed down through oral tradition, dwindled as they passed away without successors. In the 1830s, in the wake of substantial losses due to disease and conflicts involving firearms, many families began embracing Christianity. Christianity brought with it literacy, stability, and an end to devastating interclan conflicts, initially finding acceptance among specific tribes.
However, subsequent conflicts with the Pakeha (European settlers) eroded the influence of missionaries among the Māori. During this era of growing independence, Māori-founded churches such as Rātana and Ringatū emerged. In the present day, Māori people follow a diverse range of beliefs, including traditional, Christian, a blend of both, or other variations.
Source: https://www.tota.world/article/572/
See the cross at the front. Ngā Marae o Te Hikuwai Marae Renovation programme. Credit: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/te-wiki-o-te-reo-maori-strengthening-marae-builds-communities/JKEGF7P3BNTXTBJE7NGY5AG2Q4/
The Land (Whenua):
The Maori deeply respect the land as their ancestor and provider. Maori architecture is designed to harmonise with the natural environment. Traditional buildings are constructed using locally sourced materials, ensuring a connection with the land and reducing the environmental impact. Structures are oriented to capture natural light and ventilation, acknowledging the land’s life-giving qualities.
Ancestral Aspects (Whakapapa):
Maori architecture often reflects the genealogical connections and histories of the people. Carvings and patterns in buildings convey ancestral narratives, connecting the present with the past. This aspect of the ‘Te Whare Tapa Wha’ model highlights the importance of honouring one’s heritage and acknowledging ancestors’ wisdom.
Modern architectural approach:
The concept for Tennent Brown’s latest educational building at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki relates to Māori cosmology and local history. Credit: https://archipro.co.nz/article/maori-powerhouses-tennent-brown-architects
Can you identify the traditional and modern aspects of this concept building?
I will assist you.
Modern Architecture Characteristics
The fundamental modern architecture characteristics include:
- Functionality
- No ornamentation
- Functional, flowing, open-space plans
- Exposed structure
- Use of modern materials like reinforced concrete, glass, and steel (man-made)
- Use of traditional materials in innovative ways
- Open floor plans
- Abundance of glass to let in natural light
- Horizontal design with flat roofs
- Abstraction
- Straight, continuous lines.
- Form follows function.
- The function takes priority over aesthetics (beauty).
Villa Savoye. Iconic Modernist Architectural Design example by Le Corbusier (1950 to 1960). Steel-reinforced concrete floors and roof. Clay brick walls – plastered and painted (excellent heatsink or thermal mass – improving passive solar design – e.g. Sun heats up the building during Winter – improving energy efficiency).
Practical Context of Maori Design and Architecture:
An example of Maori architecture’s practical application can be found in the design of marae (meeting place) complexes. These traditional meeting grounds consist of wharenui (meeting houses) and wharekai (dining halls). The marae design embodies the ‘Te Whare Tapa Wha’ principles by incorporating the following:
- Spiritual spaces adorned with intricate carvings and woven panels reflect the spiritual connection of the community.
- Integration with the land through the use of locally sourced materials and placement that respects the land’s contours.
- Ancestral aspects are represented in the carvings, which share genealogies and stories of the community’s origins.
Comparing and Contrasting: Modernist Architecture versus Maori Architecture and Design:
- Philosophy: Maori architecture emphasises cultural heritage, spirituality, and harmony with the land. In contrast, modernist architecture prioritises functionality, minimalism, and abstraction, often overlooking cultural and spiritual contexts.
- Materials: Maori architecture utilises natural, locally sourced materials, while modernist architecture often employs industrial materials like steel, concrete, and glass.
- Ornamentation: Maori architecture is richly adorned with carvings and patterns with ancestral significance. Modernist architecture often embraces simplicity and minimal ornamentation.
- Connection to Surroundings: Maori architecture integrates with the environment, while modernist architecture may stand out from its surroundings.
- Cultural Storytelling: Maori architecture communicates ancestral stories through design elements, whereas modernist architecture may not have such cultural narratives.
- Sustainability: In the past, Maori had a very sustainable approach to constructing their buildings – very practical using the local materials from the bush and forests. The modernist approach utilises less sustainable materials than Maori’s organic choices (Modernists preferred, for example, steel reinforcing, concrete, and clay bricks). Modernist building materials are man-made and consequently more difficult to recycle (e.g., at the end of a building’s life cycle, it has to be crushed with powerful equipment and machines). The crushed concrete can be used for roads, hardcore filling for new buildings, and more. Both utilise sustainable systems in their buildings. Traditionally, Māori lived in family-based kāinga (villages) or pā. They slept in rectangular wharepuni (sleeping houses) made of timber, rushes, tree ferns and bark, with a thatched roof and earth floors. The organic and natural buildings were cool inside during Summer and very energy efficient (considering cooling in Summer). On the other hand, considering Winter, the Maori had to resort to fires and covering themselves with pelts (rabbits, possums, antelope, deer, and more) inside their sleeping houses. Later, the Maori used wooden planks for floors, walls, and roofs, which they decorated with typical Maori carvings. They then painted it red, black and white. For example, Maori used organic material to create paint (dyes) and colouring: Used a natural product derived from iron-rich clay or sandstone, ochre, which ranged in colour from yellow to red to brown. Māori called the prepared pigment kōkōwai, and the red colour, in particular, had symbolic associations, although the context was all-important for interpreting meaning. The Maori building materials had significant meaning – specifically spiritual meaning. Modernism has a very scientific approach to sustainable materials and systems. These include sustainable systems for a building like implementing passive solar principles (concrete walls – called trombe walls – heatsink – heating the building via the heat of the Sun), triple-glazed aluminium windows (insulation), LED lights (highly energy efficient), solar panels (converting Sun energy into electrical energy), solar thermal panels (preheating water via the Sun), harvesting rainwater, and more. Building materials are designed to maximise sustainability in an artificial context. Products for construction are made in factories and mass-produced. For example, steel beams, hardened steel reinforcing, specialised concrete, and glazed aluminium windows (pockets in between sheets are filled with argon gas – to improve insulation), to name a few.
Lets now look at traditional Maori Architecture versus Modernist Architecture – A Comparison.
TABLE: Comparing and contrasting Traditional Maori Architecture (1842’s and onwards) and Modernism (1950s to 1960s-architecture). Organic versus Man-made.
| Building materials, systems, sustainability, passive solar principles and more. | Traditional Maori (1842 and onwards). New Zealand. | Modernism (1950’s). USA and Europe (France). |
| Insulation: | Organic material from the surroundings: Thatched roof, branches, wooden planks, leaves, mud floors. Pelts for blankets (made from animal skins). Fires around the organic buildings. Possibly straw/grass below the mud floors (or inside the building). One standard method was to use layers of raupo (bulrush) or totara bark on the walls and roof to provide insulation from the weather (Schrader, 2013). These materials were often combined with earth or mud to create a thick, insulating barrier. | Geofoam (high-density polystyrene) under the foundations and the floors. Greenroofs (covered with sedum (short grass – no maintenance required on the roof). Aluminium triple-glazed windows (pockets between sheets of glass are filled with argon gas and act as an insulator). |
| Passive Solar Design: | Houses were probably built partially under trees (shading in Summer). Slightly in the Sun during the Winter season. One method was the house’s orientation to the sun, with the main entrance typically facing north to capture the sun’s warmth during the day. The design of the windows and eaves also allowed for ventilation and cooling breezes to pass through the house in warmer weather. Additionally, using materials such as earth, wood, and thatch helped insulate the house, retaining heat in Winter and keeping it cool in Summer. | Thermal mass (heatsink): Steel-reinforced concrete and clay (also cement) bricks for the floors, walls, and roof. Very energy efficient. Uses the Sun’s energy to heat the building during Winter.Deciduous trees to the front of the building. Shed leaves during Winter. Lots of foliage to provide shade during Summer. |
| Fresh oxygen: Inside and around the buildings. | Buildings were located near and under trees, close to shrubs and grass—lots of fresh oxygen around the building. | Living green walls (interior and exterior) and green roofs. Converts – via photosynthesis – the C02 to fresh oxygen (O2). |
| Waterproofing: | Thatch roofs (grass covering). Reasonably water-tight. Possible small gaps between planks. Gaps between doors and frames (also gaps between the make-shift window and window frame). | Complete waterproofing. Silicone (sealant) around aluminium window frames fitted into the concrete window openings. Derbigum roof covering (rubbery sheet and ‘tar’ (bitumen) torched onto the concrete with hot torches fed by combustible gas. |
Recycling – End of the life-cycle of the building: | Easy – decompose naturally. Burned as firewood. | Heavy machinery is needed – increasing the carbon footprint – to demolish and crush the reinforced concrete and bricks (clay and concrete brick). The gravel can be used for road filling and hardcore filling for buildings (used under floors – filled and rammed with plate-compactors). |
| Sustainable Systems: | Natural ventilation (wind) through the house or building (natural air flow), The Building is not fully airtight. Choice of organic building materials acting as insulators, providing shading (e.g., trees), and more. | Solar panels (photovoltaic), solar thermal panels (pre-heated water by the Sun), rainwater tanks, 12-Volt batteries, inverters (convert 12-Volt DC to 230-Volt AC), living walls, triple glazed windows, green roofs, louvres in front of windows, small wind turbines, and xeriscaping (plants that need the minimum watering), worm bins, composting, veggie and herb gardens, biomimetics (miming nature), and more. The building is fully airtight (completely sealed rooms) to control the temperature in every room. HRV (Heat Recovery Systems) and heat pumps installed. |
| Can you think of anything I have missed? Please add it. |
Now it is your turn.
Do you have a notebook or visual diary? Create some quick sketches of concepts for a shaded space. Location: Anywhere in New Zealand or the world.
Here are some inspiration:
A sixteen-year-old student’s DVC work (New Zealand). Shaded Space or Outdoor Pod on the school grounds (or elsewhere).
Outdoor pod. Credit: https://edgewater.schoolpoint.co.nz/courses/course/1TDES
A 16-year-old student’s design work. Level 1 – Design and Visual Communication at Edgewater College (2016) – New Zealand. Link to the student’s work: https://youtu.be/TMzMBVQc9vw?feature=shared
References:
- Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora: Māori Health Development. Oxford University Press.
- Schrader, B. (2013). ‘Māori housing – te noho whare’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Link: https://teara.govt.nz/en/maori-housing-te-noho-whare#:~:text=Traditional%20housing,thatched%20roof%20and%20earth%20floors. and http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/maori-housing-te-noho-whare (accessed 17 February 2024)
- Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua – Housing our future (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.beaconpathway.co.nz/our-research/research-projects/kainga-tahi-kainga-rua-housing-our-future
- Frampton, K. (2007). Modern Architecture: A Critical History. Thames & Hudson.
Citation:
Van Zyl, W. (2023). Architectural Design: Māori, Christian, and Modernist Influences – A New Zealand Perspective. Five House Publishing. https://fivehousepublishing.com/2023/08/23/architectural-design-maori-christian-and-modernist-influences-a-new-zealand-perspective/
Interested in more Māori resources on architecture, food, fashion, furniture, tools, worldview, AI, and more?
Search the blog posts: ‘Māori‘
Here are some examples of the many articles and resources available: Māori context (metalwork, woodwork, furniture, food, tools, worldview, placenta, AI, Modernist architecture [Le Corbusier – Villla Savoye and others], and much more).
Copyright © 2023 by William Van Zyl
Architectural Design: Māori, Christian, and Modernist Influences – A New Zealand Perspective.
All rights reserved. This eBook/article or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
without the publisher’s permission, except for using brief quotations in a book review.
Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, August 2023
More eBooks and articles are available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/
More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/
