Copeland Associates Architects

Copeland Associates Architects was established 1997 in Auckland New Zealand. Over the past two decades the practice has been responsible for a wide range of work, from buildings for health, education and research, public infrastructure particluarly sporting complexes, through to residential developments and private houses. The practice is rooted in substantial experience and the commitment to deliver an effective professional service to clients. Innovation, sustainability, teamwork, economic design solutions and expressive materiality are some of the core concepts of our Studio.

All kinds of community projects and infrastructure, Multi-unit housing, compact residences including free-space multi-use cabins.

After a cup of coffee! No, It has to be after talking to an excited client or having an inspiring conversation someone.

The Plan. The Form of Construction. Embedding the form into the existing context and drawing from existing historical references to the ‘place’ .

A design is successful when it is enjoyed exactly as it was envisaged by the designer, for then the needs of the client and the vision of the architect have truly been realised in the form of a successfully functioning amalgamation of spaces.

Its validity in its context, how it serves the people and community it was realised for.

A responsible designer must respect the eco-needs of the environment and limited tracts of urban land. While keeping this in mind, a space must imbibe within itself ethereal qualities that stimulate the inhabitants and observers of the space to better the quality of life; participate keenly in the functioning of the society rather than being a mere static built mass.

Design today is largely governed by digital realisation tools that have helped re-integrate mathematics with mass, proportion and form of architectural elements that enclose a space. The future of design is open to a vast array of visionary possibilities. New materials will help make architectural mass ‘lighter’ and more efficient, modulating light and other sensory elements to the fullest.

My inspiration comes from Books, Conversations, Research, Travel, Culture, Experiences

Maximising spatial efficiency in constrained environments Sustainable Pure, solid forms highlighted with a dash of colour Expressed structural elements Exposed materiality

We have a very collaborative work ethos and design development methodology, integrating clients, technical consultants and manufacturers

An effective relationship may be established between companies and designers who compliment each others skills and values. The selection process may involve referrals or a comparative analysis of skill sets and recognition of what each company brings to the table.

Our design process involves a lot of sketching, hand-drafting and modelling to tease out economic design solutions, through combination of spaces and materials while celebrating light, air and movement. The process of design development involves a constant re-iterative dialogue with the client and consultants to achieve an optimised design

1. The big orange entry door to our house. 2. Our massive floor to ceiling book shelves 3. My wife’s sculptures 4. The square Aalto table from Artek 5. The heritage Hospital bar stools

Negatives: The forever search for perfection. Positives: The architect has the potential to encourage change in the way a community functions by introducing a small, well-designed module that brings together different technical fields in a cohesive whole.

Technical proficiency Enhancing the landscape Understanding the inhabitants’ requirements Flexibility and open minded Resolute expression of a Signature Being able to forge successful relationships/ being personable

Copic Markers Drafting board with H-lead clutch pencil A0 brown sketch paper roll Foam board and card models BIM modelling software

Prioritise the important tasks first and set out a daily plan at the start of the day. Writing down what needs to be done the next day before going to bed I find is a good way to declutter the brain so you start the next day fresh.

It’s like asking how long is a piece string? Each object requires its own set of rules and parameters depending on the type of object. Each type of object will have a different time frame, so to answer this question I would have to say it depends on the object that I am designing.

Majority of our clients tend to be organisations but we also have family and friends as clients too.

I enjoy the model making side of the design, that to me is when a design form can be truly realised once it reacts with physical daylight.

The practice believes in the power of teamwork and collaboration. Every Tuesday evening we roll out a long piece of brown kraft paper and with wine in hand we sketch out all our ideas which initiates a visual conversation. We work closely with our clients, engineers, constructor and other specialists, from inception to completion of projects

We have an awesome Trekkers Cabin that we are in the refining stages of that is worth talking about. This Smart cabin, we believe is the next big idea to answer the ever growing demand for the trekking tourism industry. Smart Cabins are all linked through an app that offers live resources information and the ability to be able to summon rescue drones to deliver resources to isolated locations. For more information check it out here at https://www.copelandassociates.co.nz/thearcticpod-award-winning-architecture/sustainable-cabin-architectural-design-nz

You can visit out website: https://www.copelandassociates.co.nz/ Or check out our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caa.architecture/ Or our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CopelandAssociatesArchitects/

I have always been interested in drawing from a young age, my Meccano set was a prized possession, and I also enjoyed making mathematical paper models. My father worked in London Docks and at the weekends he would sometimes take me as a young boy of 9 or 10 to the wharf; I loved the ships and cranes and meeting with the officers who with my dad would be planning how the various items of cargo (it was before the days of containers) would be stowed into the holds. As a teenager I desperately wanted to be an artist but I was good at sciences at school so my family thought that was a safer bet for a career. I started studying mathematics at Manchester University but began reading about architecture and was able to change course. When I was still an undergraduate at the Manchester University School of Architecture I was extremely lucky to land a job at Foster Associates which at that time was based in a small office in Hampstead, London. Early experience working at the elbow of Norman Foster was seminal, wonderful and I was totally hooked into a new way of seeing and thinking. These were my beginnings in architecture.

I enjoy designing and making things - you are always learning something new. Now I’m an architect with some experience I feel able to make a real contribution to society.

I chose - and in fact changed direction to get into this field. Then from my early twenties on it became locked into my DNA.

I have designed many types of building during my career so far. Current preoccupations include the design of small modular living spaces at one end of the spectrum and large scale parametric structures for sports at the other.

Identify your heroes, find a mentor if you can, keep dreaming, drawing, reading and don’t ever give up trying to be a legend (I’m not there yet)

A good designer might stop work when the brief has been satisfactorily met. A great designer does not stop there - in fact that’s when the work really starts.

Design first and foremost has to work - in terms of the brief and the budget, use of appropriate technology, be sensitive to its context, create a sense of place. Further, with good fortune, it will evoke a strong sensory and emotional response.

Design is of increasing importance in today’s world. Space on earth is becoming increasingly scarce. The way we build today ensures that a built form exists for many decades. For this and many other reasons (cultural, financial, technical etc) there is an increasing imperative to get it right - the building needs to have a beneficial impact on both its social and environmental context now and for future generations. The only option is to invest in good design.

There are many ideas! For example: I’d quite like to design a village centred on modern day industrial activity - like they had in the Industrial Revolution, but a more diverse, sustainable and sexy twenty-first century version. It would aspire to be both a university, and a natural wilderness.

Every successful project has a secret ingredient - different in each case. You have to search for it until you find it - that’s the secret!

One is always stimulated by the work of others, and much contemporary architecture is immensely inspiring, for example by Gehry, Hadid, Ingels, Saunders to name but a few. However I am constantly drawn back to those legends who had the earliest influence during my architectural education: Khan, Barragan, the Japanese Metabolists, Archigram, Buckminster Fuller… Closest to my own era those who have had the most immediate impact on how I think are probably Piano, Rogers, Shinohara.. And still most specially and regularly Norman Foster who was my earliest mentor and exemplar.

There are so many! Great designs by others demonstrate close attention to detail, materiality, perform well and are experientially responsive to their occupant and contextually respond positively to the environment and existing sense of place…and have an X-Factor (no pressure). Most recently I have been greatly impressed by the Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth, New Zealand by Patterson Architects.

Always, be open to criticism and feedback. Designers need themselves to constantly reassess how and what they do. In the office there are regular critiques and workshops - our office culture is vitally important. As a team we work to constantly improve our game, including developing the use of new tools and technology.

I initially did mathematics at university but was always fascinated from a young age of how something is put together. So I might have become an industrialist.

My life partner and fellow architect Ainsley O’Connell, along with my many colleagues I have worked with through the years.