Description:

Climate change is increasing the frequency of severe weather events, causing urban waterways to reclaim their former states and courses. The clues to resilience are hidden within our natural landscapes.

"Living with Water" is based in Grey Lynn Park, Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, one of the hardest-hit areas during the 2023 flooding. The Ōpoutūkeha Awa once ran through this area but has since been piped. Due to poor water disposal methods, the awa has become filled with polluted and foul-smelling sewage, making it permanently unswimmable alongside Coxs Bay Beach, where it empties into the harbor. "Living with Water" addresses this issue by reimagining Grey Lynn Park as a space where humans and more-than-human life can thrive. The park is designed as a purposefully floodable space. This project engages with water-sensitive design and nature-based solutions to reimagine Grey Lynn Park as a resilient public amenity. Through strategies of daylighting, constructed wetlands, and a built structure that encourages curiosity around natural water processes, it reintroduces swimming opportunities while protecting local ecologies.

"Living with Water" is thoughtfully designed to benefit human and more-than-human wellbeing for harmonious coexistence centered around water. The structure consists of two main zones: the swimming zone to the northwest and the wetland zone to the southeast. Should this project progress further, I envision more areas of interaction and nature-based solutions being introduced within the boardwalk system. The structure integrates the four pillars of sustainability through each zone using various nature-based solutions. The swimming zone's floating platform has 20 muka biofilters attached underneath. Muka is harakeke fiber that has been used in many traditional Māori practices and once grew in large plantations within Grey Lynn Park. Local artists weave the sheets of muka, which are then installed between recycled plastic sheets and filter out pollutants from the water. The biofilters decompose over time, depending on water flow and speed. Once decomposed, they provide nutrients for the riverbed, and the frames can be removed and a new sheet installed. The wetland zone incorporates a water catchment channel to regulate the flow of water through the wetlands below, ensuring there is enough water to keep things moving and healthy, but not enough to overwhelm the natural processes. The channel is constructed directly above the wetland to reduce harm to surrounding environments by transporting materials from one location to another. As rain falls through the open timber slats above, it fills and biofilms form, beginning the filtration process. From here, water drips through 10mm holes into the wetland below, regulating the speed at which water enters the wetlands. Due to the chemical composition of the e-concrete channel, the structure can be broken down and recycled. Already cast sections could be repurposed along coastlines for strengthening. The circular structure of the wetland zone and its multi-layered walkways allow people to interact with the wetland at various heights and intimacy levels.