By Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects Ltd
Initially engaged to 'tidy-up' St Bede's Durham building as demand for accommodation grew following the Christchurch earthquakes, the scope of the project expanded and our brief changed. Boarding facilities were added to the top floor and common room amenities to the ground. The top two floors are divided into a series of bunkrooms, 'homes away from home' taking the form of individual custom-designed bunk and storage pods. Honouring the existing structure of the historic building, we also opened up the internal spaces to access natural light and ventilation.
Awards: NZIA Local Award, 2015; NZIA Colour Award, 2015.
Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects is an NZIA award-winning practice with studios in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland and Tauranga. Established in 1997, our rich portfolio of commercial and residential work demonstrates a strong commitment to creating beautifully-crafted architecture that enhances the lives of those who experience our buildings – both inside and out.
We believe that enduring architecture is a delicate balance of factors – our clients’ needs and aspirations, our professional training and expertise, the history and nature of the site – but also intuition and commonsense. Every design decision, from materials to how the building complements the landscape, matters to us and adds to the experiential qualities of our projects.
Directors Max Herriot and John Melhuish in Wellington, Duval O'Neill in Christchurch and Matt Pearson in Auckland are committed to the best architectural design practices. HMOA Associate and registered architect Jenny Duck runs the Tauranga studio.
As well as new homes and house renovations, we have experience in the education, recreation, heritage, health and hospitality sectors, office interiors, multi-unit developments, civil projects and master-planning.