Architecture and Human Imprints: Imagining a people's collective in Tāmaki Makaurau

ELEVATION copy — Elevation of the Community Imprint Silo

This thesis examines the relationship between architecture and the human imprint—the
lasting influence of human interactions and experiences on spaces and materials. It
promotes the idea that architecture should reflect collective and individual stories while inscribing
human life into the built environment. The thesis implicates significant enhancement of
greater community engagement, cohesion, and a sense of belonging that empowers
residents to take ownership of their surroundings. Moreover, the research reacts to the
issue of urban homogenization by embracing Auckland's residents' stories and
identities, which should be woven into future urban growth to accommodate the unique
community character.

Imprints city — Human imprints around the city, telling an event or stories of the individuals who left them

The thesis design project revitalizes abandoned vacant sites as "human imprint
stations” by inviting the public to engage and leave their imprints. The imprints made,
intentional or unintentional, are captured and displayed within the proposed Human
Imprint Community Centre on Wynyard Point; reminiscent of an expanding imprint
library for Auckland's population, it is ever evolving and grows by collecting imprints
around Auckland. The timely assemblage of imprints displays architecture as a vessel
of human imprints of current and future generations. The thesis topic encapsulates the
core idea of individual identity empowerment. It challenges the traditional notion of
architecture as a passive shell while fostering a unique urban identity through human
interaction.

MASTER PLAN — Location of the Imprint Silo and potential imprint stations

Plans — The building grows circularly clockwise around the main ramp by gathering more imprints as time passes

Wynyard Point (the site) is subject to rising sea levels due to the effects of climate change, posing an existential threat to the site and the captured human imprints. By addressing the climate risks within the project with various techniques, the Community Imprint Silo becomes more than a repository of Auckland's Imprints but also a symbol of our collective determination to harness our stories and identities in the face of climate threats.