A number of conversations recently have led me to ask whether we are focusing our collective problem solving attention on the right part of the problem with regards to housing affordability.Read the full column here ..read more

There’s a clever advertisement that has seen a lot of coverage in various media recently, which first amused, then intrigued me. The headline is “Hey Chat GPT, finish this building…” It’s an ad for Belgian job agency, Impact, and features a multistorey building, wrapped in scaffold and plastic, with the tagline “your skills are irreplaceable”. But are they really?Read the full column here ..read more

Read this article in the Waikato Business News ..read more

First published in Waikato Business News March 2023.... I can’t help but consider that the problems we’re currently facing are at least in part due to our collective reluctance to listen to experts, especially when their advice requires short-term sacrifice for long-term benefit.Politicians, at times, forget that their role is governance, and can’t help but meddle or pursue pet projects, feeling that their ‘common sense’ holds greater value than expert advice...Read the full artic ..read more

First published in Waikato Business News Dec 2022.During the last two years members of our practice have been fortunate enough to make trips to Christchurch and Dunedin, the kaupapa on each occasion being to tour the architecture of the city.  One of the highlights for me of both excursions was the clever adaption and reuse of previously neglected buildings.Read the full column here ..read more

First published in Waikato Business News Oct 2022.We have a problem in the construction industry.  It’s estimated construction and demolition waste make up to 50% of all landfill waste in New Zealand.  And the construction industry accounts for approximately 20% of our carbon emissions.  Yet we still have a shortage, particularly of affordable housing in Aotearoa.We can’t stop building houses, but we have less than a decade to make significant reductions in our ..read more

Senior Architect Ghada joined the PAUA team at the end of May this year.  Here is a little bit about her background and motivation for doing the work she does.Nō hea koe? (where are you from?)Originally from Lebanon; I have lived in NZ for 14 years. How long have you been in the architecture industry?  On and off 20 plus years. What inspired you to become an architect? Believing that living in well designed environments makes us better adjusted human beings. Career highlight so far ..read more

Five of our team travelled to Auckland yesterday for a conference, the main focus of which was sustainability.  The timing didn't work to take the train, so we all managed to squeeze into an electric car for the journey - about the most sustainable way we could travel at the moment. The conference was well organised, the speakers and content was great, and we left invigorated by many exciting discussions. Throughout the day though, we reflected a number of times on the focus of the conferen ..read more

The Rocky Road Residences are townhouses designed by PAUA Architects, in the north of Hamilton, they are on sale right now from the Rocky Road website. PAUA was approached by the developer in early 2021, and won the commission through a design competition process.  PAUA undertook both the urban design masterplanning and the architectural design of the dwellings themselves ..read more

Dominic joined the team at PAUA Architects in February 2022.  We've asked him a few questions to get to know him a little better: How long have you been in the architecture industry? I’ve been in the architecture industry for over 16 years, with specialisation in masterplanning, commercial, education and public architecture. What inspired you to become an architect? I believe architecture is about people, it is our relationship to the land, and our responsibility to the environment.  ..read more