August Abstracts

Irawan Chandra Arief
Onehunga waterfront Project 
Abstract 
This project is about how people can have access to the waterfront. In the presence of two existing projects, Taumanu reserve and Onehunga port leave space between those two projects. providing an opportunity to create a space that may be integrated with each other. And the space for the community enjoys the potential of the waterfront
Another uniqueness of this site, Onehunga. Is a wealth of history and potential development for the city of Auckland in the future. A long time ago, Onehunga is a canoe ship crossing from Manukau inlet to Tamaki and even Coromandel. Meanwhile, the east-west link connection plan and Onehunga waterfront development will be an option for future development.
Researchers from literature studies, history, and articles from various newspapers on related topics serve as a reference for further research. Investigation of various designs is done, which then analyzed what the potential and obstacles. 
From various designs then came a better design potential, based on some workshops that have been passed, supervise, and input from related parties. A fish market can be an option for Onehunga and surrounding communities in the future.

Jie Zhang
The Bioregional Park : Commemorating the visit of Captain Cook
Not up until recently, the majority of people have begun to be concerned about the impact of human activities on the environment. As an increasing amount of people flood into towns and suburbs and more and more people are leaving the city, restoration, preservation and enhancement of biodiversity in towns and suburbs areas have become important.  This research is to develop landscape architectural methodology that applies bioregional concepts in concepts. The Mercury Bay is the place to test this new method. The research is expected to be used in the Mercury Bay test to apply this method to other projects. The aims are that to protect the ecosystem of the restoration of habitat patches, and to form a new cultural display window and to build a human activity network. This project’s other aim is to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook's first voyage (1769) to New Zealand.
Keywords: Biodiversity concepts, bioregional park, improve the environment, habitat patches, Bioregional Approach.

Teng Sun
Sponge City
Abstract
Under the expansion urbanization and climate change, many cities are suffering flood disaster nowadays. The conception of sponge city has shown up in recent years, it aims to build the whole city on a sponge to keep absorbing rainwater to slow or even stop the flood. To resolving flooding problems, this research focus on how to retain flood through sponge city as a landscape architecture design to reduce urban damage. Base on the temperate marine climate and irregular terrain in Auckland, I’m going to design a sponge city project in New Lynn area which is analyzed by GeoMaps data. Through the data collected, it is easy to find the places where have current flood issues or potential problems, then use landscape technique to design park, wetland, ponds to absorb flood in different water branch. There are number of cases around the world, which aims use flood and terrain to redesign and create different functions and landscape. This research includes the data integration solutions in Auckland, and show the evaluated effects.

Meng Zhang
Low-impact, climate-resilience urban design: renew inner city’s harbour 
Abstract
The challenges of managing stormwater run-off, which partly caused by climate change, have always been receiving highly attentions from all around world. However, due to stormwater been discharged into the harbours, which undoubtedly not only causes seawater contamination, also increased risk of people’s illness and intensify marine species’ loss. In this stage, it is most important to purify the rain flow before it run into sea.
My personal research will explore how to develop a design project which mainly focus on effectively keeping catchment water being clearer in order to prevent harbour environment. At first, I attempt to entirely analyse what design approaches, based on the framework of low impact urban design, also climate-resilience theory, may act on both mitigating catchment contamination and controlling over-flooding. Then, to consult with the previous project, I intend to choose a several coastal cities which also suffer from similar stormwater issues, and find what design approaches they used and whether they can effectively work. Finally, my expectation of this research is to address the Cox Creek catchment’s pollution to maintain and return Cox’s Bay being animated and recreational.

Guanghui Jiang
The Urban Regeneration of CBD Periphery Zones-The Study of the Strand Station Area in Auckland
Abstract
The land is rare in city centers, and new urban areas should be exploited or running down areas should be regenerated in the trend of big cities’ urban expansion in the world. CBD Periphery Zones (CPZ)are of high value. The functions in CPZ are worthy of being upgraded to cater to the need of city centers. High-quality public spaces in city centers can be extended to /across CPZ, which are easy to connect adjacent suburb town centers together. Heavy traffic infrastructure and transit nodes such as motorway, railway stations are usually located in CPZ. The introduction of High-Speed Trains in many modern cities recently is more likely to trigger an ambitious urban regeneration. Cities’ boundaries sometimes are restricted by industry areas. The regeneration of CPZ can contribute to removing the industrial functions and promote CBD’s urban development with more offices (Canary Wharf， London; Rotterdam Zuidas), housings (Java island, Amsterdam), entertainment spaces 798 art park, Beijing), tourism attractions (Sydney Opera House).
The research by design aims to explore the possibility of the urban regeneration of CBD Periphery Zones in Auckland city which is facing some similar problems of urban development so that to provide potential scenarios for Auckland and other similar cities in the world. The Strand station area which is of various talents is the specific site in the east-north edge of Auckland city center. An urban design emphasizing high-quality public spaces and the sustainable urban landscape is to deliver a clear and ambitious human intervention. Case studies, design precedents and theoretical framework from the theories of other experts in landscape architecture/urbanism are implemented. Mapping, site survey, and analysis are the basic work to conclude a scientific design. The ambitious concept of involving a national high-speed train station, the junction of a new tunnel linking north shore, public space corridors connecting CBD with Parnell town center and Auckland ports which are supposed to move away, is also to be the catalyst of a bigger urban development in Auckland.  
The research is to address profound perspectives for Auckland, enlarging the CBD boundary, connecting the waterfront and the adjacent town centers in a local scale, linking the city center for commuters and other big cities such as Hamilton, Wellington etc. by the high-speed train in a regional and national scale. This research is also to help other big cities in other countries to make strategic plans for urban regeneration when crossing the boundary of city centers. 

Wenjin Zhan 
Child-friendly green space design: enhance the relationship between children and nature
Abstract
With the development of urbanization, the area of urban green space is gradually decreasing, and children have less and less access to nature. All aspects of child development benefit from interaction with nature and lack of contact with nature can lead to psychological and health problems for children. On the other hand, parks do not attract children to participate and gain their attention. Nowadays, more and more children lack the contact with the natural environment, which attracts more public's attention.
This research project focuses on improving children's interaction with nature. First of all, I will collect data that based on the theory of environmental education, pay attention to the relationship between children and public green space (such as parks), and analyze the status of children's health. Then, I'm going to talk to some kids and their parents in Auckland about their understanding of green space and their real needs and ideas. After that, I plan to find some successful cases of green space design involving children and find out what kind of methods they use, and how effective they are in the end. Finally, I expect children are invited to participate in designing a green space in Auckland that they really like and improve the environmental awareness of children.

Zahra Baradaran Khalkhali
Towards a Robust Design: Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Design Process in order to Reducing Renovation Costs
Abstract
The common architectural design procedures usually focus on the current needs of users. Any changes in residents or the current residents’ demands might affect the efficiency of design. Moreover the changes in people’s lifestyle encounter the buildings to different types of costly renovations. As each building in its life cycle could experience different kinds of renovation, it would be more sustainable to predict more desirable scenarios of future renovations and consider them in the initial design in order to have a cheaper renovation process in the future. In this research, a new design process is proposed to take into account the effects of possible future renovation scenarios in initial design. Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a new technology in AEC industry is used to make this process executable. The proposed design process will be implemented in designing a small-scale residential building in Auckland while a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) would be performed to see how much money the new process would save or add to the construction and renovation expenses.


Okan Can Bozat
How can architectural carbon foot-print lowered by using natural systems in communual use buildings?
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to discover the benefits of low energy buildings regarding to the natural systems. The increasing population of the world leds to the rising number of cars, buildings and all human needs that causes the necessity of energy resources. Those resources are facing with exhaustion due to the capacity of nature. According to huge growth in the building industry, whole energy needs are increasing and the carbon foot-print of the buildings are rising rapidly. The majority of the buildings around the world are based on artificial supplies for heating, ventilating, lighting and all other aspects to create a comfortzone inside.
However, with the expand of sustainable approach, architects have started to focus on designing environmental friendly buildings. Those buildings are designed to provide natural atmosphere inside the building with using natural systems and they have started to become common in the latest years. On the other hand, most of the low energy buildings are designed as houses for private use especially in rural areas. It is possible to see some examples of passive houses, zero-energy buildings in New Zealand but unfortunately, the majority of the buildings are not sufficient. In this propsal, the aim is to achieve a completely self sufficient communual use building within the urban area in Auckland.

August Critics

Michael Hawes
Michael has been in practice as a landscape architect since 1997. Prior to joining Boffa Miskell, he practiced for 7 years with Lovejoy London during which time he was made a Director leading a landscape and urban design portfolio both in the UK and internationally.
Michael has a wide range of experience in landscape architecture, master planning and urban design. His strengths include developing a good understanding of client needs and requirements with creative conceptual design to deliver memorable places for people to enjoy. He has a strong interest and proven experience of working in a collaborative team, within a broad spectrum of cultures, at a range of scales from broad scale master planning to intimate spaces, and from conceptual and detailed design through to contract administration.
Currently Michael undertakes the role of Technical Leader for Design leading a team of studio design leaders across the practice and providing design support, review and input across a range of projects as well as leadership and strategic direction for the design disciplines for Urban Design and Landscape Architecture.
Michael has tutored in urban design to tertiary-level architecture and landscape architecture students at Victoria University, Wellington.
Michael has served as the NZILA Wellington Branch Chairperson and until recently represented the NZILA Auckland Branch on Auckland Council’s Urban Design Panel Governance Board.

Matt Riley
Personal Profile:
Matt is experienced as an urban designer across the fields of masterplanning, strategy, urban design review and development projects over a range of scales. He is skilled in working within cross-disciplinary teams on large scale and complex projects.
Qualifications & Membership:
Master of Architecture (Urban Design) (1st class honours 1st Division). University of Auckland, 2003 - 2005.
Master of Planning Practice (1st class honours). University of Auckland, 1999 - 2000.
Bachelor of Law / Bachelor of Arts. University of Auckland, 1990 - 1994.
Member of the NZ Urban Design Forum.
Independent Commissioner for Auckland Council.
Member of the Auckland Urban Design Panel.

Dushko Bogunovich
Professor Bogunovich studied architecture, urban design, town planning and management at Sarajevo; Belgrade; Cyprus; the University of Pennsylvania; and the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to his appointment in 2018 at The University of Auckland as Adjunct Associate Professor of Urban Design, he was Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment, Arts and Science at Ba Isago University in Botswana, 2017-2018. Before that, he was a professor of urban design for 20 years at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, in the Architecture and Landscape programmes.
 Professor Bogunovich is a member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP); New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA); and the Urban Design Forum (UDF) of NZ. He was twice a Fulbright scholar. He has won numerous urban design competition awards, including First Prize for the Aotea Precinct, Auckland’s civic centre, in 2000. In the past, he contributed to UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO and Habitat. Since 2000, Dushko has had short term visiting professor/fellow appointments at Oxford, Bologna, Genoa, Wismar and most recently at the Milan Polytechnic.
In 2018, Dushko is the General Rapporteur for the 54th Congress of ISOCARP, in Norway.

Tommy Honey
Tommy Honey is a director, designer, educational manager, architectural critic, cultural commentator and occasional architect. He has worked in the theatre, taught architecture and design, directed a Film School and been CEO of an Art & Design college. Tommy was for a long time the resident urbanist on Radio New Zealand’s Nine-to-Noon and he recently completed a Masters in emergent and disruptive technology at the Tech Futures Lab where he investigated disruption in housing.

Sue Evans
Sue is an urban design professional with extensive experience in urban design management and design education. She has a special interest in local and national government roles where large scale projects have to deliver social and economic benefits without compromising quality. Sue is currently the Urban Design Manager for Housing New Zealand and holds a Master of Urban Design, Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland. She leads urban design strategy and oversees design aspects of delivery for Housing New Zealand stock nationally, involving master-planning of suburban neighbourhoods, spatial feasibility and project design management. In previous roles she managed the design process of numerous award winning large public space projects in Auckland’s CBD and waterfront. Sue is closely connected with design education in Auckland and has been, variously a guest lecturer, teaching fellow, Masters supervisor, critic, and examiner in the architecture, spatial design and landscape architecture programmes of University of Auckland, AUT and Unitec. She is a member of the NZIA and ‘Architecture + Women NZ’, with contributions made to several publications. She has a passion for design and a belief, born from experience, in the ability for clever design to deliver outstandingly better social and civic outcomes for the lives of New Zealanders.

August Workshop

the abstracts

Zoë Jane Avery

Living Urbanism: designing living roofs to maximise benefits for the built environment, humans and nature

Abstract

This research aims to outline the relevance and benefits of living roofs on urban developments, and explores the factors and constraints that restrain increasing living roofs in New Zealand. Although living roofs are becoming increasingly common in cities throughout the world for their ability to improve climate change adaptation, energy conservation, food production and our ability to develop more sustainable and environmentally friendly living environments, their presence and application as part of landscape and urban design interventions in New Zealand is still comparatively rare or simply relying on particular interests of specific groups, people or landscape architects, architects and urban designers. This is becoming more relevant in the light of increasing needs to pursue green infrastructure solutions, and pressing issues related to rapid population growth, advanced stages of urbanisation often described as instances of urban sprawl, and alteration of natural environments defined by increments of hard surfaces, pollution and lack of contact with nature. In this vein, it will help to explore how we can incorporate green infrastructure design solutions into urban developments to maximize benefits for the built environment, nature and people.

Currently, living roofs are rarely included in developments in New Zealand and if they are, most are being designed in isolation, resulting in living roofs which are disconnected, inaccessible, monocultures, not robust, poorly designed, ineffective or inappropriate for the location. The aim of this research is to select key living roofs in New Zealand and critically analyse their design characteristics, to then - through interviews with the architects, landscape architects and designers - disclose the factors that explain why living roofs are not being included on developments in New Zealand. Findings highlight the design problems with existing living roofs and obstacles for incorporating them into new developments including lack of knowledge and education; increased cost of development; and perceved risk. This research suggests that without encouragement and education it is unlikely that living roofs will be commonplace throughout New Zealand.

The intention of this project is to aim for an improved urban landscape with maximised multi-functional benefits through the use of a living roof design manual for Whangarei on the proposed Art Centre in Whangarei Town Basin, Northland as the project location. Using the proposed Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery as a central landmark building, the living roof manual will inform a design response to help reveal the potential living roofs present to improve our urban landscapes and our lives. Fundamentally, the aim of this research is to develop a guide that will assist with the design of living roofs within our cities to help create spaces where we can have respite from the busyness of city dweller life and connect in with nature and beauty.

Yuan Zhang

Urban ecology and the design of a green infrastructure network based on catchments for Auckland, New Zealand ----- The Oakley creek catchment case study

Abstract

 The pressures of global population growth, migration and increasing urban densities present significant issues which can negatively impact on the health of cities. These pressures are more evident in midsize global cities (Allen et al., 2016) where there are often significant conflicts between the development of human infrastructure and the maintenance of natural ecosystems. The conflict leads many times to major environmental degradation.

Urban studies tend to describe development patterns negatively, and often point to environmental problems that stem from development, such as landscape fragmentation (Forman, 2014), degrading water quality (Marjorie van Roon et al., 2004), flooding and increasing water-borne pollution (Pickett et al., 2013; Pickett & Cadenasso, 2007), reduction of green space and biodiversity (Wu, 2014). However, many of these authors reflect on the values and opportunities that arise from urban development to link ecology and urban development through green space networks as described by Borrett (2014), Derbyshire and Wright (2014), Li et al. (2015) and Niemelä (1999).

This project explores a new, valuable and sustainable urban development paradigm through creating a new Green Infrastructure Network (GIN) model based on hydrological catchment in urban Auckland. This GIN connects current LID and WSD stormwater management practices, as is already in use at present, with a new sustainable spatial mode for intensified urban area.

The Oakley Creek catchment is used as a case study to show the details and functions of the GIN. Through classifying Oakley Creek catchment into four scales: 1 block scale; 2 neighbourhood scale; 3 community scale and 4 urban stream scale to form a ‘nested catchment’. Then manage the catchment by designed GIN nodes and corridors to deal with multiple urban environmental and hydrological issues.

Additionally, design a local area network (LAN) model and shared infrastructures in the GIN to create social and economic benefits to the local community. The new GIN and LAN models show the interrelated character of ecological, social and economic conditions in a local community design.

Kael Li

Research question: How to make inaccessible coastal space more available to the public?

Rationale: Coast plays a crucial role to most people who live in coastal cities. However, there are often many limitations for the public to get access to beach and coastline, including rough condition of geography, natural limitation, private possession, and the key issue in my research, which is the construction of motorway. Similar as many countries, New Zealand has this issue in many places. Some of the coastal areas are even under natural risks.

Theory: Focus on providing available coastal space with more connection and protecting function, whiling balancing the ecological perspective and coastal development.

Methods: From case studies, there are already many different methods for several types of sites. For example, beach nourishment is a complex but ideal method to create more coastal area; by creating bridge, boardwalk there will be more connection between community and coastline.

Personally, I will focus on Shoal Bay, in Auckland, which locates near city center and has a good potential to become an ideal urban waterfront coastal park. After analyzing different perspectives including transport, natural situation, historic and ecological aspects, I will try to provide my own design concept, which is mainly an artificial coastal park in the existing but limited coastal area. The new park concentrates on four perspectives: availability, protection, connection and ecological.

Andrea Murray

A Commemorative Landscape in the Christchurch Residential Red Zone

Abstract

A landscape honoring displaced people

The Red Zone, known as the RRZ, feels like an empty and transitioning place.  The earthquakes in Canterbury have finally exposed, what geologist have always known, Christchurch city was cited on flood prone swamp land.

The RRZ covers 400 hectares, where the roads are beyond repair, the power poles are on a lean and decommissioned, yet the grass is mown.  What can the city do with this serpentine shaped quilt of 6000 individual gardens?  How can this landscape be used in a way that is honest and meaningful to the people who once called it home?  10,000 people lost their sense of place when they abandoned their homes and accepted the Crown Offer.    Before this massive earthquake displacement, the Maori tribe, Nga Tahu left the land where they once gathered food, when the river catchment became polluted with settler’s waste water.

Many memorials use walls, or monuments, very prescriptive designs to communicate what needs to be conveyed to visitors.  A commemorative landscape in the Avonside Loop can be a non-prescriptive way to tell the story about the Christchurch Earthquakes and those families who lost their homes. 

Jie Zhang

The Bioregional Park : Commemorating the visit of Captain Cook

Abstract

Up until relatively recently, the majority of people were not very concerned about the relationship between human actions and human impact on the environment. This phenomenon has consequently resulted in over-consumption of natural resources and environmental degradation. As more and more people live in cities restoration, preservation and enhancement of biodiversity in urban areas has become important. This thesis will present a concept of bioregional ideal. Using this concept, it will help to change people's ideas about the human relationship to the environment and natural resources from the current condition. This research will use a bioregional park design for Mercury Bay in the Coromandel to show how an environment can be improved, protect the natural resources, connect people to nature and make a habitat for ecosystems of plants and animals. At the same time, this project other aim is that to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of captain James Cook's first voyage (1769) to New Zealand. Mention commemorating capt. Cook.

Irawan Chandra Arief

Onehunga waterfront Project

Abstract

This project is about how people can have access to the waterfront. In the presence of two existing projects, Taumanu reserve and Onehunga port leave space between those two projects. providing an opportunity to create a space that may be integrated with each other. And the space for the community enjoys the potential of the waterfront

Another uniqueness of this site, Onehunga. Is a wealth of history and potential development for the city of Auckland in the future. A long time ago, Onehunga is a canoe ship crossing from Manukau inlet to Tamaki and even Coromandel. Meanwhile, the east-west link connection plan and Onehunga waterfront development will be an option for future development.

Researchers from literature studies, history, and articles from various newspapers on related topics serve as a reference for further research. Investigation of various designs is done, which then analyzed what the potential and obstacles.

From various designs then came a better design potential, based on some workshops that have been passed, supervise, and input from related parties. A fish market can be an option for Onehunga and surrounding communities in the future.

Teng Sun

Sponge City

Abstract

Under the expansion urbanization and climate change, many cities are suffering flood disaster nowadays. The conception of sponge city has shown up in recent years, it aims to build the whole city on a sponge to keep absorbing rainwater to slow or even stop the flood. To resolving flooding problems, this research focus on how to retain flood through sponge city as a landscape architecture design to reduce urban damage. Base on the temperate marine climate and irregular terrain in Auckland, I’m going to design a sponge city project in New Lynn area which is analyzed by GeoMaps data. Through the data collected, it is easy to find the places where have current flood issues or potential problems, then use landscape technique to design park, wetland, ponds to absorb flood in different water branch. There are number of cases around the world, which aims use flood and terrain to redesign and create different functions and landscape. This research includes the data integration solutions in Auckland, and show the evaluated effects.

Meng Zhang

Low-impact, climate-resilience urban design: renew inner city’s harbour

Abstract

The challenges of managing stormwater run-off, which partly caused by climate change, have always been receiving highly attentions from all around world. However, due to stormwater been discharged into the harbours, which undoubtedly not only causes seawater contamination, also increased risk of people’s illness and intensify marine species’ loss. In this stage, it is most important to purify the rain flow before it run into sea.

My personal research will explore how to develop a design project which mainly focus on effectively keeping catchment water being clearer in order to prevent harbour environment. At first, I attempt to entirely analyse what design approaches, based on the framework of low impact urban design, also climate-resilience theory, may act on both mitigating catchment contamination and controlling over-flooding. Then, to consult with the previous project, I intend to choose a several coastal cities which also suffer from similar stormwater issues, and find what design approaches they used and whether they can effectively work. Finally, my expectation of this research is to address the Cox Creek catchment’s pollution to maintain and return Cox’s Bay being animated and recreational.

Mengyi Wang

The sustainable garden

Abstract

Accompany with the innovation of the modern garden style, both the consumers and the designers tend to give focus on the aesthetics rather than the sustainability. As a environmentally conscious country, people who have private gardens in New Zealand actually do not take care of sustainability. As a result, the cases have caused the waste of resources. This research creates utopian sustainable gardens which are changed the layout, plants and water system to make the gardens more resilient. The garden will be chosen from local Auckland’s sites and they are typical private gardens. The scale of the gardens are from the big to the small, separately analysed and designed.

the critics

Joseph McCready
Joseph McCready graduated from the Unitec BLA programme with honours 10 years ago and currently works as a senior landscape architect at Beca where he has been for 5 years working on a range of projects from large roading infrastructure to subdivisions and cycleways. He has also worked at Natural Habitats, Jasmax and Auckland Council. He has a particular interest in the process of design as well as landscape in the urban realm, ecological restoration and green technologies.

 Julia Wick
Julia has several years’ experience as a landscape architect where she has been involved in a large number of projects throughout a variety of scales and stages of the design process. Her strengths lie in the field of landscape assessment and analysis along with CPTED assessment.
Julia has a particular interest and expertise in Design Planning. She has undertaken a number of Landscape, Visual Assessments and Peer Reviews for large-scale strategic infrastructure and land use projects in urban and rural landscapes across New Zealand.

Stuart Houghton
Stuart is a qualified urban designer and registered NZILA landscape architect with more than fourteen years’ experience in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He has a breadth of experience in urban design and landscape architecture, for sites at a range of scales and for clients in both the public and private sector. His design work includes preparing urban design frameworks, structure plans, and site master plans as well as strategic and conceptual design proposals for streets and public spaces.
As an urban designer Stuart has proven experience of working collaboratively as part of multi-disciplinary teams on complex urban development, infrastructure and public realm projects. He brings to each commission an open and inquiring mind, clear strategic design thinking and robust and considered analysis of issues and opportunities.
In addition to his design expertise Stuart has strong written communication and presentation skills that have enabled him to gain considerable experience in the areas of urban and landscape planning, including strategy and policy, design guidance, urban design and landscape assessment, and presentation of expert evidence at council hearings for plan changes and resource consents. In 2014 Stuart was appointed to a term on the Auckland Urban Design Panel that provides design review to large scale, complex and high profile development projects across Auckland.
Stuart is developing a growing profile as an urban design practitioner with a particular focus and track record in the transportation field. To this end Stuart has recently completed a 16 month Certificate in Next Generation Transportation Alternatives, a multi-disciplinary online CPD programme for mid-career professionals around the world led by Gordon Price of the Cities Programme at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. The programme is focussed on addressing some of the hard questions facing cities such as how to plan, design and implement multi-modal streets including how to prioritise competing demands for space by transport modes and seeing transformational change through highly politicised processes.
Stuart naturally bridges professional and disciplinary divides between planning and design, strategy and implementation, and public and private interests, to deliver higher quality, more liveable cities and urban places. His work has received a number of awards including most recently the NZILA Charlie Challenger Supreme Award for the Auckland Transport City East West Transport Study, as well as a visionary urban design award from the NZILA for his master’s thesis.

Juan Molina
Juan Molina is a senior architect and urban designer at CPRW Fisher. Juan is a graduate of the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona and a Spanish Registered Architect,  member of the Collegi Oficial d’Arquitectes de Catalunya.  Juan was taught by luminaries, Enric Miralles and Ignasi de Solà-Morales and worked with Viaplana and Pinon on the early days of the ‘Plazas duras’ in Barcelona. He has over 20 years of experience as a practicing architect in New Zealand and Spain, projects include the master planning of Britomart with Cheshire Architects and designing a NZIA award winning projects with CPRW Fisher.

Orson Waldock
Orson Waldock is the Work Group Manager for Opus's Auckland based team of Landscape Architects and Urban Designers. Orson also works with the national team of over 20 Landscape Architects across 5 offices, assisting with coordination of resources, skills and business development opportunities across the county. Orson’s combination of design skills, project team co-ordination and project management skills make him a strong team member in the development and delivery of quality projects for clients.

John Walsh

John Walsh is the Communications Manager of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. He was a former editor of Architecture New Zealand and Houses magazines and managing editor at AGM Publishing.  A graduate of Auckland and Columbia Universities, John is the author of three books on New Zealand architecture, and editor of the catalogue for the New Zealand pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. His next project is a book on the late Wellington architect, Gerald Melling.  

Ben Clark
Ben joined Boffa Miskell’s Auckland urban design team in early 2012 as a landscape architect and urban designer. Ben graduated from University of Auckland with a Master of Urban Design. Ben has acquired a broad range of analysis and design skills while studying, giving him an understanding of how networks and processes work from the larger macro scale down to the micro scale.
Ben has been involved in a number of landscape architecture and urban design projects since joining Boffa Miskell including masterplanning of residential and industrial areas in Auckland and Hamilton. Ben has also worked on a number of multimodal transport projects visioning how transport corridors will evolve in response to the changing demands of the city. Ben has experience in a variety of landscape design projects including planting design for streetscapes, reserves and stormwater infrastructure.

Ben’s interests in urban design lie in regional growth strategies and masterplanning particularly addressing how Auckland’s urban form will respond to a significantly growing population in the near future.

Welcome to Zoe Avery Exhibition

June Workshop

Hi Everyone and welcome to the MBP June Workshop. We have two full days with three exams and a visit from our new monitor, the distinguished landscape architect Will Thresher. Good Luck!!