Abstract:
The issue of new buildings in historical settings emerged with the rise of modern urbanism and new technology in the nineteenth century.1How to reconcile modern development in historical townscapes concern. New Zealand is a relatively young country with less heritage architecture compared to architecture in Europe. Early immigrants tended to build buildings in their homeland building style and their concepts to fit in with New Zealand contexts. Many of these early structures were demolished and replaced by new buildings during the progress of developing a new country. Today the society is becoming more aware of the “ecological issues and the thoughtless demolition of old buildings are now perceived not only as an ecological waste but also as the eradication of local identity, of cultural heritage and socio-economic values.”2 In New Zealand, most of the surviving heritage buildings have been registered as historical places with New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT), but only a few of them have been carefully restored and maintained. These heritage places contribute to the social and cultural history of New Zealand by preservation and conservation develop-ments of heritage settings. We are not only retaining the physical remains of our past, but also preserving the traces that form our local identity. Without this continuity with the past, we will lose the sense of “belonging” in a place. This project initiated with a research based study of Opotiki, the Former Shalfoon Brothers Shops and the De Luxe Theatre. A conservation plan for the existing De Luxe Theatre was created for the local community. The conservation plan stated the cultural and historical significances of the theatre along with conservation policy for the building. This thesis attempts to create a response to the decaying condition of Opotiki through a series of urban regeneration strategies based on the research study of historic and current state of Opotiki. The urban regeneration process of Opotiki is long and complicated, requiring a large amount of works in different aspects. Therefore this thesis will only focus on the conservation planning and designing of the new cultural complex located on the underutilized site of the De Luxe Theatre and former Shalfoon brother’s shops. The proposal of new buildings on this historical setting is a part of the bigger picture in Opotiki’s urban renewal process. CRITICAL QUESTIONS: How should we use or interpret the past we save? How can we retain and enhance the existing character of Opotiki at the same time to improve the quality of life? How can we not simply preserve but conserve the historical merits to meet Opotiki’s current and future needs?