Author(s): Tony Watkins

NZ Non- fiction

This book on owner-building gathers together all the articles which originally appeared in the Auckland Star on owner building, along with a Prologue and an Epilogue. "The journey is all-important for the owner-builder. The creative owner-builder process provides an opportunity to discover, explore and dream. An Owner-builder learns more about themselves, their philosophy of life, their culture and their place than they do bout how to create a structure. They enrich their place and their community. They create a surplus. Sustainable housing will always be owner-built. Sustainability begins with producing a surplus. New Zealand once had a unique tradition of sustainable building. With a bach you left it all behind. With a beach house you take it all with you. A bach was a spiritual journey and too much baggage just got in the way. A bach began by falling in love with the place. It was about the sand dunes, not the building. Love produced a surplus well befor a cent was spent on a building. Sustainability is a spiritual journey. Owner-building makes it possible to set out on that journey. Doing nothing is not an option. We live in a planet of finite resources. We cannot afford the carbon footprint of the wnvironmentally costly built environment to which we have become accustomed. Housing slavery will not be overcome by improving the design of the shackles. Owner building offers a message of hope. It is not concerned with doing sithout. It is about enbracing life in all its fullness. To be alive is to build. To lead an ethical, responsible life means building in an ethical, responsible way." Tony Watkins worked as an architect in Emgland and Canada. While practising back in New Zealand he became increasingly involved in the developing environmental movement. He co-authored the first Maritime Plan in New Zealand. Meanwhile he had become an avid owner-builder and has since built a number of houses. He has written extensively about his experiences. Tony Watkins was a founding member of Arc-Peace, International Architects Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility. He participated in the Velvet Revolution which ended the Cold War. He co-authored the Environmental Policy if the New Zealand Institute of Architects and through the International Union of Architects was instrumental in having it used as a basis for environmental policies in more than 70 countries. He was a C-Director of the UIA Sustainability Work Programme. He has lectured on Vernacular Architecture, Environmental Studies and Design. Tony is Te Rarawa from the North Hokianga where he is involved in Kauri forest restoration and kiwi recovery.