Quiet achievers, rebels and dreamers: 50 of NZ’s most inspiring people
We are honoured to have been recognized as one of the "50 Most Inspiring People" in a recent article by The New Zealand Listener.
Below is the excerpt from the Built Environment category, reproduced with the permission and courtesy of The Listener.
Clockwise from left: Alex Cassels, Sheppard & Rout, Nicholas Dalton, Rau Hoskins, and Cohaus by architects Thom Gill and Helle Westergaard
Built Environment
Clockwise from left: Alex Cassels, Sheppard & Rout, Nicholas Dalton, Rau Hoskins, and Cohaus by architects Thom Gill and Helle Westergaard. Photos / supplied
Alex Cassels: Property developer
The Wellington property developer believes the current emergency housing model is broken and no one will fix it. Instead, through his Wellington Management Group, he proposes an alternative in the form of transitional housing – a shift that aligns with current government policy and the aims of Wellington City Mission. Transitional housing, as the name suggests, provides a secure home for people while more permanent solutions are sought.
Sheppard & Rout: Architects
Nearly half a century old, the Christchurch firm is responsible for many of the buildings in the “new look” Ōtautahi and thus will have a major impact on the look of the post-quakes city that should last for at least another half a century. Founded by the late Jonty Rout and David Sheppard, the firm is responsible for thousands of public and private buildings, often distinguished by sleek, clear lines and an energetic engagement with the natural environment.
Nicholas Dalton: Toa Architects
Ever since he reconceived his family home in crayon at the age of 3, Dalton has been devoted to making architecture that is more relevant to the people who inhabit it. He is described as “making Auckland look more like Tāmaki Makaurau”, thanks to the likes of the Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae he designed in Auckland’s Pt Chevalier, and he is probably the only architect whose website profile picture features him performing a pukana.
Rau Hoskins: Architect
DesignTRIBE architects remains true to its 30-year-old founding kaupapa to provide Māori and wider community groups with access to high-quality architectural services. As well as his contemporary focus, Hoskins has researched traditional Māori building techniques which inform the firm’s work today. Its diverse projects include public spaces in Auckland’s Viaduct Basin, the Pathways care facility for people with brain injuries in Papakura, Auckland and a wananga precinct at Whakarewarewa’s New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute.
Cohaus: Housing community
An outlier that turns traditional notions of home ownerships on its head, this collective, which is now home to some 20 families, induced mild shock in parts of the architecture community with its alternative approach. Cohaus architects Thom Gill and Helle Westergaard helped drive the project, which is described as “a community of people living in a 20-unit housing development in Grey Lynn, Auckland.” It was a battle all the way to bring it to fruition. The result: no longer is it necessary to go to the city’s semi-rural fringes to enjoy a home with shared facilities and without an emphasis on capital gains.
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