As one of the leading architectural design firms in Wellington, our team offers stylish and functional design solutions for residential and commercial clients throughout New Zealand.
We bring practical knowledge and expertise to each project combined with innovation and a focus on future-proofed eco-friendly buildings.
Holmes Architecture works with clients throughout New Zealand, with award-winning contemporary architecture in Queenstown, Hawkes Bay, Wellington and Martinborough – each one with their own unique style and character, balancing modernity with functionality. Our team can come to you or you can visit us in our Wellington office. Contact us to arrange your consultation today.
Meet the Holmes Architecture team. We are a small collaborative design studio with a diverse range of skills and interests that we bring to each project…
Director
With a family heritage in construction and as a qualified builder himself, Mike Holmes established Holmes Architecture as an architectural design practice, while completing the Masters of Architecture programme at Victoria University. Working on complex residential and commercial projects fostered an affinity with built form, and Holmes Architecture was initiated through connecting this intimate knowledge of the construction process with an intuition and passion for architecture and design.
Mike’s approach to the design process is fluid and intuitive, although his non-linear approach is always coupled with a strong sense of identity, purpose and process – “Establishing identity is fundamental to the creative process and establishing who you, and your clients are, will ensure a clear project vision.”
Identity may be communicated through architectural style, environmental considerations, materiality, detailing, form, landscape but developing well-defined geometries and tectonics in relation to the natural landscape is often a theme of the practice. Client and context is a conversation that is initiated early in every project, where the many competing forces of a design problem are reconciled through design thinking, visualisation and documentation.
Mike believes that architecture is communication in both practice and product – “The spark that delivers an initial design insight is a relatively brief moment in the process. The practise of architecture is then the communication of this brief and intense moment. What elevates buildings to architecture is when a designer has something worthwhile to say and does so in an insightful and honest way.”
Mike’s ultimate aim is that elegant, unexpected and delightful design solutions are achieved through balancing function, construction and efficiency with a deep empathy for site, context and client.
Senior Architectural Technician
James decided to pursue a career as an Architectural Technician over 13 years ago and from labouring on building sites to becoming an experienced Senior Architectural Technician, he has amassed an extensive knowledge of the New Zealand building code, CAD and BIM systems, and design expertise.
He is a Licensed Building Practitioner, senior architectural technician and talented designer and is intimately involved across all aspects of project delivery and an invaluable member of the team.
Lena recently graduated from the Weltec Architectural Technology course with top marks and has since been rapidly soaking up everything there is to know about high-quality documentation and architectural design as part of the Holmes Architecture team.
Her infectious enthusiasm for all aspects of the design process is a great asset to the studio and her specific interests in passive design and building science integrate perfectly with the ethos of the practice.