Fast Forward 2025 Semester 2 | Tim G. & Caroline R., Spacecraft Architects

Fast Forward 2025: Systems Change - Finance, Planning, and Community in the Climate Era

August-September 2025 | Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning, University of Auckland

How do we fundamentally transform the systems that shape our built environment? Fast Forward 2025 brings together perspectives on disrupting finance, master planning, and community development to address New Zealand's most pressing challenges: housing affordability, climate adaptation, and sustainable urban growth.

As communities seek new approaches for the future, these speakers demonstrate how rethinking fundamental systems—from investment models to planning frameworks to community governance—can create pathways to genuinely sustainable and equitable futures.

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Small Means, Big Impact: Designing for Density, Community, and Climate

From self-build origins to co-housing innovations, Spacecraft demonstrates how thoughtful design and alternative development models can create affordable density that strengthens rather than fragments communities.

Spacecraft Architects was formed in 2012 by Caro Robertson and Tim Gittos following their self-build house in Whanganui. Their practice embodies an economy of means - creating spaces with limited resources that are a delight to experience, underpinned by environmental responsibility and cultural context.

From their origins as hands-on builders, Spacecraft has evolved to tackle one of New Zealand's most pressing challenges: creating affordable, sustainable density that people actually want to live in. Their work demonstrates that thoughtful, small-footprint housing can lead to increasingly dense projects, culminating in recent co-housing developments at multi-residential and apartment scales.

Currently part of the team creating Pattern Books for NSW - design frameworks that make quality, climate-responsive housing replicable across different contexts - their work extends beyond individual buildings to systemic change. They advocate for alternative ways of living and development, supporting owner-development models where groups pool resources to build together, often incorporating multi-generational housing with shared social spaces at the heart.

Their approach challenges the assumption that density means compromising on quality or community. Instead, they show how clear design thinking, environmental consideration, and community-centred approaches can create housing that is simultaneously affordable, sustainable, and socially enriching.

Key insights from their talk:

· How owner-development and co-housing models create affordability without compromising quality

· Design strategies that make density desirable and community-focused

· The role of architects as advocates for alternative development models

· Scaling from individual projects to systemic change through pattern languages and replicable frameworks

Please note that tickets purchased from unauthorized third-party websites are not valid; please use only the approved website (eventbrite.co.nz) for ticket purchases/registrations.

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Getting to the venue:

The main Faculty of Engineering and Design buildings are conveniently located at the heart of the University's City Campus, and are easily accessible via many forms public transport. For further information on public transport schedules, visit the Auckland Transport website.

For those driving in, further information on parking options can be found here.