Adrian Viegas

Unitec

Well done to all of the fifth year students at Unitec who survived their critiques this week, onwards and upwards. Rounding off the week before the long weekend, Adrian Viegas gave SANNZ a run down on his plans for the Christchurch CBD. Read on to hear more about Adrian’s work below… 

Student Architecture Network New Zealand: In a short summary, what is the main idea/purpose of your thesis programme?
Adrian Viegas: My main aim is to entice people back into the Christchurch CBD, by creating architecture that is a monument to the city and its recent events. It will be a series of interventions that work in conjunction with each other and act as a journey through the city to encourage people to feel relaxed about re-inhabiting Christchurch.

SAANZ:  Who are your supervisors and why did you choose them?
Adrian:  Dushko Bogunovich and Annabelle Pretty. I chose Dushko as he shared a similar interest in Christchurch and sustainability. His ideology of the Christchurch rebuild had similar virtues to mine. I didn’t know much about Annabelle before she became my supervisor however I knew Annabelle had experience with temporary installations in Christchurch already. Annabelle has been extremely useful in terms of keeping me on track and achieving my next goals. Annabelle also introduces me to the idea of using mixed media.

SANNZ:  You completed your BAS at CPIT, what was the main attraction of Unitec in terms of completing your Master of Architecture degree there?
Adrian: CPIT doesn’t have a Master of Architecture program so I had been thinking about it for the duration of my BAS. CPIT is very practical and Unitec is similar in this aspect but is also big on theory. I love that the atmosphere and program of Unitec and CPIT are similar.

SANNZ: When did the direction of your thesis become obvious?
Adrian: Too late… I decided on this particular path a couple of weeks ago but I know I can achieve what I want to. It changed dramatically from 4th year as I was inspired by our theory class, Critical Studies. Changing my idea was definitely worth the late start. I have no regrets.

SANNZ: Over the course of your architectural education have you had an artist model or architect that has inspired you?
Adrian: Definitely.  Auckland street artist Andrew J Steel as a model for my thesis. The playfulness of his work is fitting for removing the edge and fear of rebuilding and re-inhabiting Christchurch CBD.

SANNZ: How do you intend to physically or architecturally represent this idea as well as the artist model, Andrew J Steel, in your thesis?
Adrian: The way he exhibits his art is how I intend to exhibit the architecture.  I intend on architecture via place making and much of Christchurch CBD is a blank canvas at this point.

SANNZ: If you could invite two architects to dinner, who would they be and why?
Adrian: Norman Foster and Santiago Calatrava. I love that Santiago Calatrava represents a very engineering side to his architecture. His works visually shows the physics of architecture.

SANNZ: What are your plans for next year?
Adrian: To work in a chosen firm. I am looking forward to getting closer to my next goal of becoming a registered architect and then eventually achieving my long term goals. But one goal at a time right?

SANNZ: What playlist or artist do you listen to when in full crank at uni?
Adrian: Drake.