Canvas Magazine: ArchiPro feature
An exciting New Zealand tech startup is revolutionising the way homeowners are interacting with the country’s leading architects, designers and industry suppliers. New Zealanders’ love affair with property shows no signs of slowing down with the local market continuing to boom. As Aucklanders spread their home owning wings beyond the expensive city’s limits, the New Zealand dream of building a house from the ground up has become more achievable. But building your own home -- especially if it’s your first -- can be daunting, and costly if you don’t get it right from the start.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Milot Zeqiri, the founder and CEO of New Zealand company ArchiPro, a comprehensive and interactive online directory that “connects the dots” between the country’s architects, designers, builders, products and homeowners via a ground-breaking, user friendly website that is as functional as it is inspirational.
“Traditionally if you wanted to engage a professional or source products you’d go to the Yellow Pages or visit showrooms, home shows, websites or spend a fortune on magazines. Now ArchiPro exists, and you only have to go to one place to find everything you need,” he says.
“It’s like Google for architecture and building.”
Having previously renovated 5 properties and worked in the industry for over a decade, Milot and his wife Brittany both understand the pain points homeowners have to go through when managing and planning their projects. The solution was the creation of ArchiPro in 2014; an all-encompassing, user-friendly digital platform that links all major components of building for the end user.
ArchiPro’s premise is simple, and effortlessly executed. The site connects architects, designers, builders and product suppliers with clients, using technology to help build their brands, while homeowners use ArchiPro to brainstorm ideas, research and hire professionals, find products and manage projects. It’s a goldmine for anyone looking to build, renovate or redecorate their home.
The high-spec website -- the only one of its kind in the country -- is organised into three main sections beginning with “Projects”, which currently showcases more than 5000 New Zealand architecturally designed builds. Industry professionals pay a small fee to list their project portfolios on the site, while users have the advantage of being able to browse the country’s best builds in one place.
Various filters allow users to narrow down what they wish to browse and within each project are gorgeous photographs and project details. Some of the projects have had interactive tags with product details added.
The “Products” library features nearly 13,000 high-quality building and interior products, from garage doors to wallpaper and everything in between. The library allows users to browse by category or brand, compare product types and ranges, find the exact specifications of thousands of products, and contact suppliers and manufacturers directly.
“It couldn’t get easier and simpler to find the exact product you are looking for, meaning you don’t have to spend your valuable time visiting hundreds of separate websites,” Milot says.
Finally, the “Professionals” section is where you can peruse the work of interior designers, cabinet makers and landscape architects, to name just a few of the industry professionals listed. It is an extensive compendium of design and building professionals from throughout New Zealand. You can search, filter and contact companies directly all from this one portal.
“And this is only the tip of the iceberg,” says Milot. “This is just the start. Watch this space. We’ll be rolling out new initiatives and deploying new features every month, with the aim of simplifying and amplifying the connection between industry professionals and product suppliers, and those planning to design and build new projects.”
Unlike other websites, everything featured on ArchiPro is available in New Zealand and complies with our building rules and regulations so you don’t have to waste time on Pinterest or Google Images browsing overseas projects that don’t comply with local standards or finding products that you can’t source locally.
On every page browsers have the option to request more information including prices, connect to the relevant external website, and make direct contact with the featured party. Users can create a free account where you can save your favourites which can be shared with any industry professionals you connect with on the site. Once you have all the ingredients for your build, the experts are at your fingertips to help make your dream a reality.
The exciting tech startup is a gamechanger for the New Zealand building industry and is “revolutionising the way Kiwis build their homes by connecting homeowners with our leading architects, builders and industry suppliers, all on one platform,” the passionate CEO says.
“If you’re planning to build, renovate or redecorate, or even if youjust need a new tap or a rug, Archipro.co.nz should be your first port of call. It is a time-efficient platform where you go to be inspired by New Zealand homes, find professionals and discover product solutions.”
In just over three years, the tech startup has experienced phenomenal growth with 6 million page views and more than 145,000 registered users and followers. Milot is proud of the site’s cutting-edge technology, its superior design and its crystal-clear vision.
The company’s mission is to help improve the quality of life for the 7 million people who will call New Zealand home over the next 50 years. Milot says he hopes that the buildings ArchiPro helps create will shape the future of our country and be enjoyed by New Zealanders for generations to come.
Meet your future collaborators
For anyone with an architecturally designed new build in their near future, the hottest ticket in town next month is ArchiPro’s invite-only annual Meet, Greet & Eat Networking and Showcase Gala at Shed 10 on Friday March 9.
Guests will have the exclusive opportunity to mix and mingle with the creme de la creme of New Zealand’s architecture, building and design industry at the high-profile but relaxed event, which provides plenty of inspiration and valuable connections for their home-building journey ahead -- all while enjoying an evening of
champagne, fine food and music.
The Meet, Eat & Greet gala is a physical manifestation of the digital platform says Milot, connecting homeowners with building industry professionals and product suppliers within one space on one night in a very interactive, social and friendly way.
“It’s a prestigious opportunity for anyone planning to build either this year or early next year to get advice from professionals and meet the right people and get the right products,” he says.
During the evening guests will be able to discuss their aspirations and bounce ideas off the industry’s best and brightest, and find the professionals who are as interested to talk about their passion project as they are. Attendees will also have the chance to explore product samples and find solutions for any design queries directly from the experts themselves.
David Ponting from high-end boutique Auckland architecture firm Ponting Fitzgerald Ltd found last year’s Meet, Greet & Eat a wonderful experience, and will be there again in March. “The couples who come along have got this condensed evening, very efficient and highly effective time to find out if they fit with the people they want to talk to. If that connection is made it’s brilliant because it saves a lot of running around, [having] meetings at offices, making appointments,” he says.
“It’s an evening where couples have the New Zealand design community at their fingertips,” he says. “It’s not often that you can get a room full of professionals who are there in a social, very friendly environment but also an environment where they can reflect who they are to people.”
However, the benefits are not just for aspiring homeowners, he says.
“In addition to the aspect of designers and architects meeting future clients, there’s also the range of products and the suppliers who are at the location as well, and they’re able to communicate to us, the specifiers, what they’ve got.”
“We can talk to them socially and get a better feel for their product without being in a showroom environment."
