The Hidden Huts of Ōrongorongo Valley

The Hidden Huts of Ōrongorongo Valley challenges the notion that conservation land is only for visitors, not ‘locals’. It examines ‘becoming local’ through mutual care over time. Mana whenua, the primary local community, holds responsibility and connection to the land. Relationships formed by people, families, and communities are also acknowledged. These self-built huts symbolise ‘becoming local’, carrying cultural heritage and narratives. This project offers a spatial design framework for preserving cultural and natural heritage while upholding the mana of all parties. It proposes a new typology to promote conservation through fostering relationships of care between existing and future ‘locals’ and the land, instead of removing people and huts from the bush. By analysing the narrative of the existing huts through form, colour, materials, and objects, the project proposes the reconstruction of huts into smaller structures, ‘Iti Huts’, that preserve identity, narrative, and materiality. Communal structures, ‘Tiaki Huts’, foster reconnection and address identity loss by generating social engagement, guiding people from ‘visitors’ to ‘local’ through acts of care and guardianship. This project explores the future of the huts’ material, narrative, and heritage, proposing a flexible system of remembering that accommodates various possibilities and timescales of reconstruction and deconstruction. Red Dot Award: Design Concept | Red Dot Next Gen Award | Concept | Architecture