84 | ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Coform Architecture It’s all in the name Riini and his clients work together to understand how they need their home to function for them. T T Virginia Wright Launched in Mount Maunganui eight years ago by Riini Piahana, Coform Architecture was named after some lengthy brainstorming, and is a direct reflection of the company’s guiding philosophy. “I wanted a powerful and meaningful name that carries the values of how I like to work with clients. So ‘Co’, relating to collaboration and working closely together with my clients; to create the ‘form’: hence Coform, which is also reflected in my slogan, ‘together we create’,” explains Riini. Now 32, Riini has loved playing with Lego since the age of two and knew he wanted to be an architect from the time he was six. He graduated from Victoria University in 2013 and has been working in the field of architecture ever since. He is currently working towards his registration as an architect with NZIA (the New Zealand Institute of Architects). Underpinning Coform Architecture’s approach are Riini’s critical thinking skills in both design and construction, and his determination to really listen to the desires and needs of his clients, “to interpret at a deeper level and find a way of expressing their true essence in a meaningful way through architecture,” he explains. “I’m skillful at being able to see spaces in different ways – understanding how these individual spaces evoke a certain type of emotion and how that really has an incredible impact on its user and how they respond to that space.” With the help of a detailed questionnaire, Riini and his clients work together to understand how they need their home to function for them: routines, lifestyle choices, daily needs and cultural preferences. A recent house design has windows and skylights carefully located in the second-storey master bedroom to reflect his clients’ cultural connection to Te Ao Mārama – the natural world. As Riini explains: “It meant they could observe the rising and setting of the sun reflective of life’s cycles, and the skylight’s location means they’ll be able to witness the movement of Matariki throughout the night sky. So on one axis they were able to have that deeper connection to the sun, and on the opposite axis they could connect to the stars.” It’s important to Riini that, regardless of the client, he creates intimate spaces to improve wellbeing, which could be as simple as a space to soak in the morning rays while having a coffee. “It’s about starting the day off right, even if it’s only for five minutes of calm,” says Riini. He often designs architectural spaces to maximise the morning light, such as an oasis created by a deep window seat with large sliding stackers opening out to a small garden. “Creating a small intimate space where they could enjoy the sun with a coffee and a view to a garden specifically designed to be part of that window-seat experience,” he says. Of Cook Island and Maori heritage, Riini grew up in nearby Tauranga. He enjoys his strong connection to Mount Maunganui and the wider Bay of Plenty, and the opportunity he has to share his culture through the lens of architecture. He and his team are looking forward to using their skills, energy and design flair to achieve architectural awards at the same time as they achieve beautiful homes in tandem with their clients. 0274 692 357 info@transformconstruction.co.nz www.transformconstruction.co.nz High quality building projects in the Bay of Plenty Transform your dreams into reality
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