| 89 People based design wins through With its roots steeped in history, the modernist architectural practice of Stephenson & Turner (S&T) is a people based design practice that places importance on the qualities of trust, respect, grace, family and growth. Principal Architect at the company’s Wellington branch, Richard George, says this endearing ethos applies just as much internally as it does externally. “We have a great o ice where people respect one another and each other’s opinions. If we can operate at that level internally it will naturally radiate out to our customers throughout the design journey. We listen to our clients to understand their needs and requirements whilst designing their building(s). Design is a very consultative and collaborative procedure with a wide cross section of stakeholders and it’s not presuming to know the solution until the essence of what the client really wants and why is clearly understood.” Initially founded in Australia in 1922, Stephenson & Turner initially forged its reputation with the design of hospitals. The New Zealand practice commenced in 1956 with the opening of the Wellington o ice, closely followed by Auckland and Dunedin. Today S&T has branches in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch with satellite o ices in Taupo and New Plymouth. “The irony is that S&T’s Australian practices have since closed down and the business is wholly New Zealand owned,” says Richard. “We operate the depth and breadth of the country, as well as the Paci ic Islands. In the past we’ve also completed projects as far a ield as Afghanistan.” One of the things that sets S&T apart is that it employs its own team of building services engineers who work collaboratively alongside the architectural team to achieve the best possible outcome for the client. The synergy between architect and building services engineers stemmed from the company’s original work on hospital buildings, but Richard says this has become even more important for a wider range of buildings due to the drive for sustainability and the need to draw free energy from the sun or ground heat source. “There are so many potential opportunities, and it is a huge advantage to leverage on those right from concept stage of a building’s design. The working synergy between architect and building services engineer enables ideas to be taken, critiqued and reshaped to ind a solution that has more than one bene it for the client.” With a focus on government and commercial projects, S&T has amassed signi icant architectural experience in high-rise buildings, hospitals, residential buildings, and buildings used in education including universities and schools. A key project S&T is currently engaged on is the new $31.8 million grandstand and community sports hub at Maidstone Park for the Upper Hutt City Council. “We’re also doing two large school redevelopments in Wellington and another one over the hill at Wairarapa College.” The work at Wairarapa College involves the design of a Supported Learning Centre, custom designed for students with diverse needs, and a Food Tech Hub that will include a commercial kitchen suitable for Level Three chef training. “Alongside that is the refurbishment and seismic strengthening of their heritage Sutherland Block. It really has been a pleasure to work with the team at Wairarapa College and to collaborate on these projects.” Creating designs to work even harder to maximise a space's inherent elegance and appeal is paramount to our architects. www.stephensonturner.com Our experienced and conscientious team will work with you to design a coherent solution that stays true to architecture’s tried-and-true, core principles: durability, utility and beauty.
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