An affective awareness

One of the most captivating qualities of the New Zealand wilderness is its temporality; season’s, weather, night and day, are multiple interconnected systems in flux. These temporal systems are intricately linked and determine the feel of the environment. We perceive this natural temporal environment through levels of experience that build from affects. Architecture is designed to resist this temporality, with lights, shelter, warmth and more. The limited engagement between interior and exterior also removes environmental conditions that have positive impact. The fixity of architecture, in its resistance to the uncontrollable, to the temporal flux inherent in the environment, limits the potential for wilderness architecture to relate to its constantly changing context. This thesis argues that non-static architecture creates a stronger connection between people, architecture and the natural environment. The success of architecture to emphasise this connection is analysed through the lens of affect as a preconscious reaction, which counters the social and cultural expectations of space. The study of affect provided a framework of understanding to inform the active designing. A fluid semi-permanent shelter is designed, constructed of a woven structural system responsive to both weather conditions and the occupants. The activities that occur within these structures maximise the non-static potential for movement and create a constant interaction with the landscape. The interplay between uncontrollable flux and controllable movement in the structures provides a challenging context that heightens the inhabitant’s awareness of the relationship between people, architecture and natural environment.