Darryl's interest in social issues of the homeless in the urban context of Auckland, NZ, lead to his thesis on 'Structure and Belonging' The following is an excerpt of the abstract from the thesis he prepared in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Architecture (professional) degree at the University of Auckland.
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This project specifically addresses the issue of the street homeless and how to positively impact their lives through architectural solution. The design tactics developed are a culmination of research into the urban transient, their needs, and arguments of what is best for them. The resulting project is a homeless shelter
on Karangahpe Road Bridge. It acknowledges the marginalised homeless and their place in society. It provides the ingredients and the framework for life with both emotional and physical wellbeing. The underlying concept is to mimic the attributes of a homeless lifestyle, such as, occupation, use, the temporary and the mobile. The project does not tackle the issue of housing, instead considers the idea of home.
This thesis takes the view that homelessness is more than just an issue of housing; it is a social issue as well. The project title Structure+Belonging, identifies the elements required for one to feel like they have a home. Considering this, as long as the physical and emotional wellbeing are accounted for, can the permanency of a
residential house can be deemed irrelevant? The thesis investigates the additional hardships faced by the marginalised homeless. These hardships are imposed by factors of exclusion and conflict that arise from appropriating a lifestyle in the public arena.
The concept of choice is also considerably important to the issue of homelessness. Is a homeless existence ever acceptable and are these individuals so damaged and so far removed from reality that contentment in such a lifestyle is but a mere delusion? Structure+Belonging interrogate the social services that provides for the street dweller. Combating the perception that aid can often reinforce such a lifestyle, an argument is made that any citizen (which the homeless are) who is desperate is entitled to having their immediate needs met. Once one accepts that homelessness will remain a permanent aspect of our society, the focus can then be placed on their needs and how they can be met in a non-hierarchical and humanising manner.
