Wai-fi may be just a private joke for New Zealanders , but it has had a big impact overseas
24 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
Student success
Wai-fi may be just a private joke for New Zealanders , but it has had a big impact overseas
Text by Martin Bryant Image by William Hatton and Yousr Ali
WAI-FI WAS THE NAME COINED FOR a design scheme by Victoria University Wellington ’ s ( VUW ) landscape architecture students William Hatton and Yousr Ali . The scheme was submitted into Urban SOS , an international interdisciplinary student design competition conducted late last year by Aecom US , the van Alen Institute and the Rockefeller Center . The competition challenged students to tackle cities ’ most pressing issues and explore the sharing economy – creating more equitable access to resources , improving the built environment and enriching the quality of life of urban residents .
Working with ASU education student Paula Wheeler , Yousr and William ’ s scheme was one of the finalists in the competition .
The scheme proposed a stream and parkland along the transport corridor of Adelaide Road and the Basin , near the site of the Waitangi Stream . But it was more than a daylighting project : it included a geo-intelligent network of public spaces , accessed by smartphone . This network highlights important stories of the space – such as historical sights , ecologies along the stream , Maori legend and knowledge ; and enables the public to upload their own stories and information .
Thus , it merges historical oral narratives with the Maori tradition of hikoi ; blends environmental needs with digital technology in a real and virtual spatial dimension .
Wai-fi is , of course , a play on words , but it opened up the ideas of how water and the internet are powerful connecting forces in urban environments . The scheme was developed as part of the fourth year studio design programme at VUW , which is undertaken in conjunction with IPENZ Sustainability Society members . Last year , students from VUW won first and second place in an Australasian competition , This Public Life . �