Its created as a collaborative work by Auckland architects, engineers, project managers and suppliers within the New Zealand construction industry, who worked together to create a sculpture to draw attention to sustainable practice.
This piece used the annual Waiheke Island outdoor sculpture exhibition “Sculpture on the Gulf 2022” as a launching pad for the philosophy behind it.
It’s an avant-garde work that was informed by the push and pull of the moana surrounding Waiheke Island, located off the coast of Auckland.
FNC Design used the project as a forum for discussion around climate change and Life Cycle analysis, and it provided the collaborators with a platform to combine art, architecture, recycling, and innovative construction processes.
The resulting work is a beautiful series of sculptural shelters made of materials found on the fringes of construction sites.
Using scaffolding poles to shape the frame, weaving plastic strapping in a familiar New Zealand manner, creating a series of basic shelters that pierce the wind and contrast the grassy slopes with the rocky coast: these aspects all served to create a dynamically shadowy shelter that becomes even more contrasted during certain times of the day.
What makes this union of art and architecture so thought-provoking is that it combines the two through a collaboration that could be a model for future projects. The sculpture is practical as well as philosophical: artistic as well as functional.
The goal of this project is to demonstrate how those materials that are wasted or neglected can be seen in a new light which might symbolise future practice and inspire similar collaborations.
After Sculpture on the Gulf the piece will remain in its temporary location at the Heke on the island, allowing visitors to fully appreciate the project’s intrinsic value. The piece is currently for sale at $35,000 as it seeks a permanent home.
The proceeds from the sale will be donated to “LCALink,” a project instigated by FCA Ltd which is dedicated to calculating carbon emissions and encouraging construction companies to reduce waste and use climate-conscious materials.
Stewart is the journal editor for SESOC (Structural Engineering Society New Zealand (Inc.)
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