Finalist: Carinya Feaunati
Carinya Feaunati, 2014 student design awards finalist.
E Toe Sasa’a le Fafao: Return to Paradise by Carinya Feaunati, Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design.
Building on anthropological fieldwork and scientific investigation, the scheme proposes a Tufuga Tatau and Fau Fale (traditional and contemporary Samoan tattooing and carpentry) school. The site is a Samoan village severely damaged by the 2009 tsunami, and abandoned by its inhabitants. The project has several goals: it aims to preserve and revive traditional craft skills and reconcile traditional construction methods with contemporary architecture; provide a community focus for the reconstructed village; and establish an economic and cultural foundation for the village.
Citation
Carinya’s scheme for the regeneration of a tsunami-damaged Samoan fishing village expresses her impressive immersion in the project and her commitment to mastering craft skills. Scientific data and fieldwork interviews have informed good architectural judgement, exhibited in the sensitive amalgam of traditional principles and construction methods and modern architecture.
