Primary areas of work are:
Institutional, Educational and Community Projects
Institutional and Public work has a primary focus on educational and civic projects. We perceive these to be challenging architecturally and technically, demanding of high levels of design skill to resolve complex (and often contradictory) briefs into meaningful and successful buildings that work for the users, and for those that fund them.
It is possibly fair to say that the more difficult the constraints the more we like the challenge - and often the better the outcome. Educational and community work also has a strong client involvement which we enjoy and importantly the clients are real people with real needs. The work also involves and impacts the broader community. We work very hard on establishing relationships with our clients and understanding their needs.
We recognize very well the difference between short term building solutions and those appropriate for the expected life and type of use of institutional facilities. Our experience includes understanding the materials, equipment and technology needs appropriate to the particular project.
Our institutional experience covers a range of building types and includes work at a large scale such as the planning of groups of buildings and the infrastructure that serves them.
The design and planning of large scale urban projects has become a major part of our work, both
in New Zealand and overseas.
In Wellington we recently completed design proposals for two major high rise projects.
In Auckland we have been successful in the first stage of the Waterfront 2000 Urban Design Projects, winning the competition for the Viaduct Basin project in June 1997. Other Auckland projects include major redevelopment projects for Housing New Zealand in Glen Innes and proposals commissioned by Auckland City for the redevelopment of the Mt Wellington Quarry.
In Christchurch we are currently completing the first of two major buildings at the University of Canterbury which form part of a campus masterplanning project won in national competition in 1994.
Thailand has been the principal site for the largest of the overseas urban projects with the new resort town on Pran Buri and its associated marina (first stage completed 1996) being a key project.
Development of environmentally sound, healthy building solutions is central to our approach to both institutional and commercial projects. The application of a strategy which involves the integration of architecture, structure and building services has resulted in these solutions being achieved at minimum initial cost and with lower ongoing servicing and maintenance requirements.
We are fully conversant with the fundamental need for teamwork, communication and collaboration at all levels on large scale projects such as these and have active experience in value management review; community and civic consultation and Resource Management Consultation.
Two scales of work are ongoing in this field - individual houses and groups of houses for private clients, and large scale public projects (for Housing New Zealand).
The tradition of making the commitment to build or improve ones own home is still strong in our community and ARCHITECTUS has involvement in this. Numerous award winning projects have been completed and in the two years of the running of the prestigious Levene "Home of the Year Award" ARCHITECTUS has been the winner and runner up. In 1997 an NZIA National Award was received for a private house in Remuera.
Houses are built to relate to our climate and culture using local methods and traditions.
Our public housing work has centred on a number of projects for Housing New Zealand. The first of these involved proposals for refurbishing and redeveloping existing housing stock and included infill housing and improvements to the infrastructure and streetscape.
Another project involved the design and implementation of a security upgrade for the Star Flats.
In 1996, ARCHITECTUS won a limited competition for the redevelopment of an area of Glen Innes owned by Housing New Zealand. The objective is to increase the density of the area whilst maintaining utility and amenity. Existing units are to be refurbished and relocated and new unit types, townhouses and units specifically designed for the elderly and disabled are proposed. This project is currently under construction.
