An architect whose firm is expanding into Queenstown and Wanaka says they are among many flocking down south to capitalise on the region\u2019s \u2018\u2018incredible\u2019\u2019 growth.<\/p>\n
Herriot Melhuish O\u2019Neill Architects (HMOA) director Matt Robinson said they planned to explore a mix of residential, commercial and hotel developments throughout the Queenstown and Wanaka areas.<\/p>\n
Witnessing the movement, growth and energy in Queenstown at present was \u2018\u2018pretty incredible\u2019\u2019, Mr Robinson said.<\/p>\n
A lot of other architecture firms were moving down to Queenstown, a lot of Auckland developers were already developing there too.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Compared to Auckland, the drive and how it\u2019s moving forward is fantastic,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The landscape, recreation and opportunities to be a part of something that was growing all appealed to him, Mr Robinson said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018You can see Queenstown\u2019s going to be a city, eventually.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Mr Robinson, the co-director of HMOA\u2019s Auckland studio since 2022, relocated to Wanaka with his wife and twin teenagers in January.<\/p>\n
The move marked the firm\u2019s official expansion into the Queenstown Lakes District, with Mr Robinson overseeing the design of new homes, renovations and commercial projects.<\/p>\n
He recently completed work on the five-bedroom and four-bathroom \u2018\u2018Jacks Point House\u2019\u2019, as part of the Willow Pond residential development.<\/p>\n
HMOA has worked in Wanaka before \u2014 it partnered with a Los Angeles architectural practice to design the Californian modernist-style \u2018\u2018Wanaka House\u2019\u2019, which won an architecture award in 2011.<\/p>\n
Mr Robinson said the firm\u2019s second Wanaka project, a three-bedroom holiday home, was also in the works.<\/p>\n
Asked what proportion the Queenstown Lakes District would have in HMOA\u2019s total future work, Mr Robinson said: \u2018\u2018As big as we can make it\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I\u2019d like to get into the hotels again \u2014 that would be great.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018There seems to be such a shortage of accommodation in this area.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Given Queenstown\u2019s rapid housing growth, it would be really important for any new projects to have good design, he said.<\/p>\n
This demand had partially motivated the decision to expand into the region.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We\u2019ve done quite a lot of multi-residential housing as well, so it\u2019s good to bring those skills down here and action it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Moving to Wanaka was something Mr Robinson said he had always wanted to do and happened to coincide with the company\u2019s plans to expand into the region.<\/p>\n
When visiting the resort town last year, he came to the realisation that Wanaka \u2018\u2018was on the move\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
While it seemed there were more smaller developers in Wanaka compared to Queenstown at present, it felt like this was changing.<\/p>\n
Having grown up on a farm in Cambridge, Mr Robinson said integration with the natural landscape had always been an integral part of his design process.<\/p>\n
HMOA was hoping to bring good, sustainable design to the Queenstown Lakes District and support the region as its growth unfolded, he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We\u2019re hoping to put our stamp on it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n