Tsunami Box tells the story of an architectural journey into the heady tropics of emergency housing in Sri Lanka, following the Asian tsunami of 2004.

With tenacious commitment, an eye for detail, and a reckless sense of humour, architect and author Gerald Melling launches fundamental ideas about architecture onto the troubled waters of post-tsunami re-construction and hopes to see them float.

They sink, of course, but not without a trace - this book offers a genuine insight into the nature of ‘good intentions’ and the anatomy of a useful architecture.

Available for purchase online from the Freerange Press Shoppe.

three new, low-cost houses for small sites around wellington.

A butterfly aviary, petting zoo, crocodile park and function venue centred around a living wetland.

Conversion of a historic saw-mill and boat building yard into a Tourism complex for the Whaingaroa hapu.  The facilities include a native bird aviary and nursery, backpackers and camping accommodation, sports area and playground!

Community rooms and 6 apartments gathered around a shared garden on a residential site in Newtown.

Feasibility study for Ngati Kahungungu, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and the Hastings District Council for the development of a 20 hectare flat site around an existing marae.  The proposal is for 140 houses in an area which would provide only 89 sections using traditional suburban planning. 6 different housing typologies, from single homes to extendable family houses, are developed in the study.  The design also includes shared space, slow roads, play areas and integrated food gardens.

Is a Non-Iconic strategy in favour of Appropriate Balance between Private Development and Public Participation. Completed as an entry into a Wellington Waterfront ideas competition about how to make use of the Outer-T wharf this design fosters public use of the waterfront while offering opportunities for appropriately scaled private development.

• Winning entry into BLUE SKIES-The Outer T Ideas Competition; Wellington, November 2009

Across a line of trees, a railway line and a stretching station platform - inside the boundary, the cranked arm of a signal spotting the train (stop/go, red/green), a willfully stretching metaphor.

• Home New Zealand, Home of the Year 2008
• 3 News, 07 Aug 2008
• Houses New Zealand, Issue 6, Gerald Melling
• The Gravy, Episode 13, May 2009

Quintessential Kiwi Paradise - a hilltop on the edge of a coastline.

Renewable and low impact materials are used and the holiday home is a perfect combination of form and function. Above it’s architectural and aesthetic functions, the split divides the house into cosy, functional parcels of: living and dining downstairs; and sleeping and bathing above. It also aids in a vital task of collecting rainwater in the remote setting.

• Blog: Modern Residential Design
• Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century Architecture