Interior December 2019 / February 2020

The recent reports about the decline of co-working multinational WeWork have made for fascinating reading and some equally interesting questions about the local co-working ecosystem. The New York-based unicorn is said to have managed over four million square metres of property in close to 40 countries around the world. Its ability to rethink ways of working and translate those into a rapidly expanding real estate empire made many think that the co-working craze was, indeed, a disruptor capable of tectonic shifts in the interior, architectural and urban planning realms. Even corporate structures were up for re-imagining as the more successful co-working hubs became curated communities, exemplifying cross-disciplinary collaboration between tenants. As we went to print, WeWork’s IPO had been described as catastrophic. Close to $2 billion in losses had been…

MELANIE MCDAID Writer Melanie McDaid is the founder of Sloane & Peach. Alongside managing her cross-disciplinary firm, Melanie writes for leading industry publications and advocates on flexible working. For this issue, she wrote about Qb Studios Christchurch (page 56). What interested you most about Qb Studios Christchurch? The increasing provision of curated and shared workspaces is interesting to me. The rise in what seems to be a more project-based, nomadic, highly individualised working culture (particularly in urban environments) makes me curious about the spaces we design for these transforming working practices. Tell us about your advocating for flexible working conditions at your own firm, Sloane & Peach. I love the idea that our lives and leisure can be integrated with our working lives. I think Ian Sohn, president of the…

Interior magazine’s editor, Federico Monsalve, has been tasked with helping judge the awards at the Inside World Festival of Interiors, scheduled to take place in Amsterdam during the first week of December 2019. The event forms part of the World Architecture Festival and consists of conferences and an awards programme aimed at selecting winners in nine categories (eight commercial and one residential). “The personal connections and lessons from the event will be invaluable, both to understand the New Zealand context better through a global lens and to continue to improve our own Interior Awards programme,” said Monsalve. “It is a great opportunity and a privilege to help judge some of the most exemplary built projects from around the globe.” Twenty New Zealand projects have been selected as finalists at the…

Julie Stout Architect and Urbanist Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects Julie is a principal of Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects in Auckland and a Professional Teaching Fellow at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland. Her work, including the design of art galleries, schools and houses, has won many awards. A career highlight was being part of the team chosen to curate New Zealand’s first official entry at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2014. She regularly champions the long-term legacy and vision for Auckland’s waterfront and harbour. She is one of the NZIA’s ten Distinguished Fellows. Kate Rogan Director Rogan Nash Architects Kate is an architect and director at Rogan Nash Architects, a multi-award-winning architecture and interior practice. Its work has been widely published and broadcast. Kate…

What were some of the key things you learned during the period after university in which you did purely contract work? If you don’t have any experience, you may not have a chance at an interview for a position, even a junior design position. I learned efficiency (everyone loves a fast turnaround and quality of work – if you can make someone’s life easier, you will forever be remembered), a can-do attitude (positive responses to a request leave generally positive outcomes) and to ask questions (asking questions doesn’t hurt – you’ll grow faster as an individual if you have the courage to ask and you don’t need to know everything). What were some of the challenges of starting your own studio? The first challenge along the way was getting clients.…

Once the headquarters for Wattyl paints, this robust 1967 building in Newton, Auckland, is now the studio for JKW – an interior architecture and design firm – where the team of seven considers paint but also so much more. “Often, interior design is pushed to the side as ‘fluff’– just the curtains and colours – but, if interiors are integrated with the architecture from very early on, how much better is that?” asks director and designer Janice Kumar-Ward. When Janice, her husband Julian and another couple bought the mixed-use building four years ago, it was an opportunity to showcase this in action. Original steel windows and doors were restored, asbestos floor tiles removed and a suspended ceiling, coated in yet more asbestos, taken down to reveal a ribbed concrete subfloor.…