Finalist: Benjamin Allnatt
Benjamin Allnatt, 2014 student design awards finalist.
Plan B Hive: An Outpost in the Hinterland by Benjamin Allnatt, Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design.
Prompted by a report that, in the event of a natural disaster, the seat of government will be relocated from Wellington to Auckland’s Devonport naval base, this scheme is a means of keeping parliament near the Capital. A building in the Kapiti Coast foothills, within the site of an existing quarry, provides a resilient base for a crisis government and, pre-emergency, functions as a disaster research centre. It also seeks to engage in some site repair, offer a sense of ‘civicness’ and serve as a kind of suspended city wall between a straggling township and its rural interior.
Citation
After an earthquake in Wellington the Beehive’s occupants are relocated to a groundscraper fortress in the Kapiti Coast foothills. Clever siting, a bold and singular formal treatment, and a strong polemic distinguish Benjamin’s scheme. This is a real proposition, presented with wit and verve.
