Racing into the third decade of HMOA Christchurch! Celebrating 20 years in the mainland

It's an important milestone for the studio and for the practice as a whole. 

Establishing any architectural practice comes with challenges and means you're in it for the long game. Setting up in Christchurch came with its own special tests, especially given I went to school in Southland! 

That said, everyone – early contacts and colleagues – was extremely welcoming to me when we set up the HMOA Christchurch studio 20 years ago. None more so than Sir Ian Athfield and his fantastic team in the Athfield Christchurch studio, who gave me my first desk.

There's no question that the bulk of the twenty years of the Christchurch practice was defined by the Christchurch earthquakes and the people we met because of them. The quakes not only changed the physical face of the city but also disrupted the status quo for Christchurch architecture. Workwise, I believe we benefited, and the resulting projects have significantly contributed to HMOA's diverse portfolio of work. 

Personally, the past two decades were defined by the challenges of rebuilding our house and the loss of my father. The strength and support of my wife, Bridget, and my fantastic work colleagues made all the difference in getting through it all.

When I reflect on our projects, I always come back to the Clifton Hill House and just how gratifying it was to work with such wonderful clients – people who trusted our ability to respect and honour the essence of what was already a very special house. Working with Megan Wraight, founding director of Wraight & Associates Landscape Architects, was also a particularly meaningful collaboration.

There are other memorable projects, clients and collaborators – too many to mention – but architect Don Cowey was a special and generous man. His influence is with me every day in our rebuilt house in Mt Pleasant. Don designed our original home, which was damaged beyond repair in the earthquakes. We rebuilt the house to his original floor plan and did our best to retain the essence of his design.

And the last twenty years wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support of my business partners John Melhuish and Max Herriot and, more recently, my colleague in Christchurch Nic Sewell. Nic has made a massive difference, ensuring continuity of leadership and drive as we continue to build the practice.

Past and present members of our studio have also been a huge support in getting us to where we are now –  a special shout-out to architect Lani van Schreven, who has recently become an HMOA Associate.

We are fortunate to be working out of the studio at 65 Cambridge Terrace that was the former office and home of the late Sir Miles Warren. The building and Sir Miles' work continue to be a strong influence on our projects, and we thank The Warren Trust and Athfield Architects for their continued support in having us here for over 20 years.