b'blue skyReseneSpotlightReseneSebedeeMaddie Zwart models a brighter future for Wellingtons Civic Square.I n many urban centres around the world, public squares are thecompositionofbuildingsthatwouldofferdifferentcreativeand citys beating heart. They function like an extrapolation of aeducational programmes for community members to participate in. kitchen within a residential dwelling, the hearth where family andI was encouraged to explore my unique creative voice in the process, friends are drawn to gather. Whether were enjoying a casual lunchwhich evolved into framing my proposal as a cultural landmark.with coworkers or coming together for a jubilant celebration, wereMaddie and her classmates were required to complete a full set of attracted to these landmarks to experience a taste of the buzzingworking construction drawings as part of their submission. She says energy that comes from playing an active role in the communitysthis opportunity to dive into the details allowed her to engage with the social fabric. But as any urban designer or city planner worth their salttextures and atmospheres of each building, right down to the finishes will tell you, just having a vacant footprint set aside in a citys centreand furniture, to focus on achieving a holistic, sustainable design. isnt enough to bring people flocking to it. It needs to be designed withThe function of my project is a vibrant urban park that responds to humans in mind and provide reasons for the community to engagehuman-scale interaction and thinks about the city through a creative with the space and one another, including appropriate amenities andlens. Multifunctional education programmes invite people to enjoy programming to activate it. the parks activities while navigating thresholds between different In a recent assignment, architecture student Maddie Zwart exploredcolours and forms. But another important part of the project was how the capitals central plaza could be re-energised for citizens toto study sustainable design by approaching it through both materials better enjoy it, both now and in the decades ahead. Her resultingand social issues, which encouraged us to think ahead to the future project, ArchitectureinaPlayfulUtopia, investigates a dichotomyof sustainable design, she says.of brutalism and gentleness, where strong concrete elements areOne of her biggest challenges lay in the colour selection and energetically coloured to contrast with their surroundings and invitereconciling the reactions others had to the bolder hues she wasabove: Maddies sketches of the site helped inform her a playful experience. Its a strikingly different and pleasantly optimisticdrawn to using. When Maddie sought other opinions during her initialunique composition of architecture, where each building has alternative to the current spaceone that attracted the attentionplanning stages, some encouraged her to take a more conservativea different purpose and becomes a playful node within the of the judges at this years Resene Total Colour Awards and earnedapproach, but she held fast to her concept. Living in Wellington, Ilandscape. She ended up specifying Resene LumbersiderMaddie the Resene Total Colour Rising Star Award. have been exposed to some important architecturesuch as that ofLow Sheen tinted to Resene Spotlight, Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Altitude, Resene Resolution Blue, Resene Salem, The brief for the project was based on the ongoing changesIan Athfield and Roger Walker. They were not afraid of using colour inResene Melrose and Resene Sebedee for her designs exterior happeninginTeNgkau,WellingtonsCivicSquare,explainstheir work and I think that approach is an interesting urban context toconcrete walls and Resene Cranberry for timber louvres.Maddie. Our fourth-year studio class was given the site and a basiccontinue exploring, she explains. I wanted to challenge the way we brief, then we were split into different streams that dealt with variouscurrently use colour, as I believe the ultimate goal of architecture is toResene Reseneurban and architectural outcomes. My stream focused on urbanitycreate engaging, functional spaces for people to enjoy. Some peopleGlamour Puss AltitudeResene Reseneand public use and I selected my specific site within Te Ngkauin my studio classes were certainly confronted by the proposed useCranberry Melrosebecause I wanted to explore a different way of connecting the cityof bright colours in such a public space, with some saying that it mayResene Reseneto the sea. I thought it was particularly opportunistic to design anot even work. While it is out of the ordinary for spaces like this toSalem Resolution Blueblackwhitemag.com 43'