Category: Design
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Celebration and Explanation
22 March, Pipitea Marae. A Saturday, a little windy, a little cloudy, a little quiet at the Parliament end of the city. People started wandering towards the marae atea, expecting to stand and wait to be told their next move, expecting someone would call them forward toward the wharenui in the form of a karanga…
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Here comes a proof
‘Look’ I tell my daughter ‘Here is the press proof of book two’ and pull out a loose copy of the precious document. ‘Oh I want to see it!’ she looks up eagerly and then looks at the proof confused ‘But Mama the pages are not stuck together’ I smile. It’s a phenomenon I was…
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Refining a brand
There are awesome people out there who do amazing things, but in an information heavy market, it can be hard to reach out in a way that captures attention. This is something I am learning about for myself as Hauangi makes gradual steps out into the big wide world. But somehow, as always, it’s easier…
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Multi-Residential – London Style
The scale of developments in this bustling city is always impressive. On our return to London at the end of 2012, I spent some time working with PRP Architects as a BIM Consultant and Designer in their Multi-Residential team. After some of the creative and free flowing designs that were possible for overseas clients at…
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Te Omanga Hospice – a heartwarming community building
I know, like children, perhaps we shouldn’t have favourites when it comes to the buildings we have designed? Not such an issue for me with an only child! But in terms of buildings this architectural project has always been closest to my heart. Located just a cycle away from where I live, the work of…
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Te Nikau – A hospital for all
On the sunny west coast of the South Island in New Zealand, lies a small sleepy town called Greymouth. Many of you may have passed it on your way from the spectacular sights of water spraying the layered rocks in Punakakaiki down to the fast-receding ice on the Glaciers of Fox and Franz Joseph. Perhaps…
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GCC – Bringing people together
Some of you know of my German heritage, my parents both emigrated from Germany before I was born and as such, I learnt the language at home, actually before I spoke a word of English! Of course, I totally took it for granted, wanted only to fit in with my peers by switching to English…
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Te Papaioea – a new health facility underway
I have worked on projects in the health sector for a long time, but this was the first time a mental health facility had crossed my desk. A hugely important and very complex project for the community of Palmerston North (Te Papaioea). I began working on the revised concept in 2020 together with my colleagues…
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Otago – Colour in the School of Music
University projects are exciting in that you can think back to the time you were in secondary or tertiary education and the hopes and dreams that were completely unfettered by commercial realities, that allowed your mind to be opened by the pure possibility of life ahead. Architecture and music have many creative synergies and being…
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Retail Retrofit – A canvas for beautiful objects
I couldn’t imagine where to start when displaying all the stock that this local Wellington lighting and furniture boutique had to offer. Thankfully our task was to retrofit their existing tired interior, and create more display space in the basement downstairs, and let the talented retail staff arrange the space to suit their needs. On…
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Navigating District Planning Process
During my architectural career, I have been fortunate to have been able to focus at the design end of projects for much of my work. This has meant being able to be really involved in the creative process, from business case, site selection and working out all the constraints of the local District and Regional…
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Seatoun – A new private residence
Thinking back to residential projects, I worked at a high-end residential practice, John Mills Architects after graduation for the first four years of my career. What a fantastic way to gain a breadth of experience in all parts of the building process in architecture, landscape and interiors. I feel that each project leaves an imprint…
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Papworth – Specialist Public Health in Cambridge
Health projects are known for taking an extremely long time from initial Business Case to completion of construction, and requiring significantly sized teams in order to design and document them. Known for being an all-rounder (I suggest that’s a kiwi can-do attitude coming through!), and confident in the BIM space, I was invited at HOK…
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The greenest development? – Dubai
I have often mused, that perhaps the most sustainable building… is the one that isn’t built at all. Dubai, a place I have only recently visited, has always somehow seemed like a location that people are not meant to live. It’s a desert of sand which reaches 50 degrees in summer, barely rains and so…
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Urban Masterplanning – Hainan, China
Until China realised that they have their own talent, many developers were intent on having western firms design concepts for their projects, for both the prestige and so that they could be seen as being at the forefront. These concepts would then taken over by a local firm to be detailed and built. Sitting in…
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Pito-one – Multi Residential
Today, it is extremely rare to see a physical model, handmade for resource consent and marketing sales purposes ever make its way into a project brief (unless perhaps last cut), but that was my task as a graduate student for John Mills Architects. Before the Pito-one Apartments could progress into developed design, I would spend…