| 59 ADNZ: Diana Blake Design Design engages with the landscape Karen Phelps Diana Blake Design focuses on contemporary innovative architectural design. ARCHITECTURE KGW CONSULTING ENGINEERS 24A Empire St, Cambridge PO Box 721 Cambridge 3450 M 027 202 5575 E admin@kgwengineers.co.nz www.kgwengineers.co.nz STRUCTURAL DESIGN FROM RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL TO EARTHQUAKE Architectural designer Diana Blake spends her days in her own studio on a one-acre lifestyle block in Whangamata dreaming up award winning projects. It’s been an exciting career spanning decades and Diana is keen to encourage other women into the profession that has given her so much. “It is encouraging to see more woman coming through tertiary institutions but it would be great to have more in leadership roles and at the higher end of the business,” she says. “Women shouldn’t be deterred by the perception that it is a male dominated field. I have had nothing but encouragement and support from my many male colleagues and role models throughout my career. “It’s such a fantastic career and I find with a lot of the residential clients I deal with it’s the women who take the forefront in terms of giving me the brief and liaising with me so there is definitely demand from clients wanting to deal with women designers.” She feels that as a women designer she perhaps brings a more sensitive approach with a lot of the feedback she receives is that her clients feel she really listens to them. “I think, especially in residential architecture, it’s easy to think of a home as just a physical object but the most important aspect is understanding how people will live in the home and base your design more on the human aspect.” Her business, Diana Blake Design, focuses on contemporary innovative architectural design. After gaining experience in the architectural industry in Hamilton, Diana established her practice in 1998 and specialises in residential and commercial architecture including new homes and buildings, renovations and alterations, hospitality and service industry projects and educational buildings. Diana places emphasis on client collaboration and communication and her style is architecture which engages with the landscape. Over the years she has won numerous Architectural Designers New Zealand awards for her work. Despite this she cites one of the highlights of her career as the fact her son Jeremy, an architectural technician, has joined her at Diana Blake Design and daughter Claudia is currently training in the profession at Wintec in Hamilton. “Jeremy is doing a great job and brings a new fresh perspective into the business. While I do more sketch based designing he is focused on computer design. He’s a great addition to the business.” She says business is busy, as with Covid our homes have become so much more important. “Our home environment is now seen as a vital part of our wellbeing. More people are investing in their homes and I have noticed a trend of clients wanting indoor gardens and greenery, back into their interior spaces to create a healthier indoor environment. People want flexibility in their home so they can have a space to work from if need be. Another trend is downsizing and this is more to do with climate change and the cost of building. Energy efficiency, insulation and materials that are sympathetic to the environment are big considerations and these trends will continue into the future.” Diana loves to include these kinds of features in homes if the client’s budget allows. She concentrates on trying to capture solar energy into the design - orientating the house for winter solar gain and minimising the penetration of hot summer sun. She favours sustainable materials and does her research into products so she can, where possible, specify products that are good for the environment and minimise the building’s carbon footprint. “I continue to find architecture an exciting career. I love dealing with people and coming up with the best design solutions for them. I feel it’s a real privilege to be designing their spaces, which are a massive part of their lives. To see your collaborative design come out of the ground and take shape to a finished product you’re proud of is so rewarding. But it’s the human aspect of architecture that I love the most; creating a sanctuary, refuge, something beautiful that people love living in.”
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