Accent Architects, Wellington, Wairarapa

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MC Mike King looks a little bemused at the ‘for the motion’ team’s attire, while the ‘against the motion’ team appear aghast! Photos by Rob Marshall

November 2010

Accent Architects involved in the 2010 New Zealand Institute of Builders (NZIOB) Christmas Debate

A month out from Christmas the annual NZIOB Christmas debate took a seasonal twist for 2010 with the motion that ‘Santa Clause was an Architect’. The debate promotional material was reminiscent of a boxing event as it pitched Lawyer (Jaeson Sumner) vs Politician (Peter Dunne), Architect (Accent’s Gina Jones) vs Engineer (Arthur Park), and Certified Builder (David Jaquiery) vs Master Builder (Rudy van Baale). MC for the evening was NZIOB Wellington President Mike King, while well known beer commentator and writer, Neil Miller was the debate moderator.

The ‘for the motion’ team’s decision to dress up in Santa garb quickly saw them become the audience favourite. A strong start from Jaeson Sumner kept the ‘For’ team on the front foot, however a well articulated and crafty retort by the ‘Against’ team’s Peter Dunne saw the balance shift. He proposed that the reason the ‘For’ team were dressed in beards, hats and glasses was that they were so embarrassed about their argument that they needed to be disguised! Result; Politician 1, Lawyer 0.

The second round on the card belonged to Gina Jones with a well constructed power-point presentation. Crowd favourite was the amended BIA’s Acceptable Solution guideline for safe chimney access for Santa. Arthur Park’s off the cuff response was entertaining, but did leave the audience confused about which team he was on. Result; Architect 1, Engineer 0.

Illustration by Daniel Moon of Accent Architects

The final round saw the benefits of preparation with an in-shape Rudy van Baale appearing very cohesive and sharp against David Jaquiery. Result; Master Builders 1, Certified Builders 0.

In summarising the evenings event, Moderator Neil Miller said that he had never heard of this particular topic ever been debated before, and on the evidence of the evening’s proceedings it was clear to him that it should probably not ever be debated again. And yes, he scored the debate in the ‘Against’ team’s favour.

August 2010

Accent Architects sponsors the Aratoi Foundation Architectural
Talk Series

Gina Jones and Tommy Honey clearly enjoying themselves at the Aratoi architectural debate at Greytown’s Town centre

Accent Architects are long term supporters of Masterton’s Aratoi Museum of Art and History, so when asked to be involved as a sponsor of the Aratoi Foundation’s ‘Architecture Art Heritage’ Winter Talk Series, Accent not only agreed to write a cheque but also offered to be involved in the headline debate fixture.

The debate was titled ‘Architecture is the Mother of all Arts’ a phrase coined by the legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. David Kernohan (filling in for Barbara Webster) teamed with Karl du Fresne to support the motion while Accent’s Gina Jones and NZ Film School director (also architect, and architectural commentator) Tommy Honey opposed the motion. The event was full of humour and quick wits with Gina’s Architecture/Art 101 power-point eliciting numerous gasps from the audience, Tommy and Karl providing numerous laughs and former Architectural Professor David giving a lesson on what constitutes great architecture in a local context.

Architectural trivia was revealed to the hilt, Gina, did Lloyd-Wright really say he believed ‘Marilyn Monroe had good architecture’? Despite Tommy Honey’s bold claim at wrap up that he could knock the opposition over with a feather, the audience show of hands proclaimed a draw.

The full Winter Talk Series which Accent Architects co-sponsored included:

Ian Athfield
ARCHITECTURE, CONTEMPORARY & HERITAGE’
Dean Whiting
MAORI ARCHITECTURE, ART & HERITAGE
Stuart Gardyne, Chris Kelly, Evzen Novak
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
Barbara Webster, Gina Jones, Tommy Honey, Karl du Fresne
debate: ARCHITECTURE IS THE MOTHER OF ALL ARTS

SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY: a film about his work

July 2010

Gina Jones attends 2010 Glenn Murcutt Masterclass

Boyd Education Centre, home for the first week of Masterclass

Winner of the Alvar Aalto Medal in 1992, the Pritzker Prize in 2002, and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2009, Australian architect Glenn Murcutt is a revered figure in the international architectural community. The annual Glenn Murcutt Masterclass in architecture is therefore a prestigious event that draws attendees from all around the globe.

In July 2010, Accent Architects principal Gina Jones joined 31 international attendees from 20 countries in Australia for what turned out to be a career enhancing experience. Stripped of the technological tools with which the modern architect plies their trade, the Masterclass participants reacquainted themselves with thorough site analysis, plentiful sketching, and physical model making.

The first week of the fortnight long course is held in the tranquil rural setting of the Glenn Murcutt designed Boyd Education Centre at Riversdale, NSW. Participants were broken into teams of four, assigned a brief and asked to select a potential building site within the local catchment area. What followed was an intensive week of on-site group workshopping, and critique sessions punctuated by lectures with Glenn Murcutt and fellow tutors Peter Stuchberry, Richard Leplastrier, Britt Andresen and Lindsay Johnston. The reoccurring theme of the Masterclass was to create buildings that are self sufficient in terms of energy and waste.

The second week saw the Masterclass relocate to Sydney where they were joined by participants in the 2010 Architecture Summer School for undergraduates, with these keen students assisting with model making. Site visits to Murcutt, Stuchberry and Leplastrier designed buildings over the second week provided inspiration and balance to a feverish workload. For Gina Jones the two week ‘total emersion’ in architecture with Australian architectural royalty was a tonic that rekindled her love of architecture and re-engaged her with the importance of structures and buildings that adhere to their environment, are suggestive of their purpose, and have a sense of place in the landscape.

“The impact of the course on my practice has been immediate” commented Gina, “within a week of returning from Masterclass, I was actively using sketch books and making models during the concept stage of new projects. It was if my visual senses had been recalibrated”.

Tutor; Richard Leplastrier (2nd from left) with Masterclass attendees at the Boyd Education Centre

Masterclass Graduation night: From left to right: Britt Andresen (tutor), Peter Stuchberry (tutor) Gina Jones, Richard Leplastrier (tutor) XXX (attendee), Glenn Murcutt, YYYY (attendee), Lindsay Johnston (tutor)

June 2010

Accent Architects Re-Branding

With the start of a new decade Accent’s directors decided to refresh the Accent logo. Last looked at seven years earlier, the Bauhaus inspired, block style logo had received only minor tweaking since its creation in 1995. The aim of the new 2010 logo was to retain the idea of the ‘stamp’. In all other respects, there is little evidence of the historical design lineage, as a fresh, vibrant, and contemporary look was sought for the new design.
     Key requirements for the new logo were that it was durable enough to last a decade and that it portrayed Accent as a significant player who stands alongside, and competes against, the larger practices operating in Wellington. The refreshed logo needed to convey Accent’s love of design and have a look that was distinctive, classic, timeless, and simplistic.
     Aleck Yee has been involved with Accent’s branding since 2003, and was again involved in the new design. Aleck cued his choice of red for the colour palette from the red circle walls in Accent’s Thorndon offices, while an old flagstone on Lambton’s Quay’s ‘Golden Mile’ provided the template for the porous appearance of the big A. The position and cut off style of the smaller a (for architects) is suggestive of the French accent symbol, thus subliminally reinforcing the brand name.
     Feedback to date has been positive, with an LA based advertising executive commenting “your last logo was good, but this new one has attitude!” We think that for a logo to go the distance in a new decade, this description sounds perfect.

April 2010

Gina Jones presents a paper at the 2010 Australian ICOMOS Conference in Broken Hill

The ‘Line of Load’ tailings are an intrinsic component of the Broken Hill built environment

The Icomos Conference provided a tour of abandoned industrial mining buildings

The 2010 International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Australian Conference was titled ‘Outback and Beyond - the future of historic towns, industrial heritage, and pastoralism’. The 2010 conference was held in Broken Hill, NSW, a location described by the Conference Chair as “an exotic part of our country that invokes all sorts of images of Australia. Why would such a significant city find itself on the edge of the desert? How does it sustain itself? Why is it so special? … The programme “embraces three big themes related to the nineteenth and twentieth century occupation of Broken Hill”.

Historic towns – establishing, maintaining and sustaining an urban centre despite the environment and prevailing economic circumstances.
Industrial heritage – extracting vast wealth from the land and associated environmental consequences
Remote pastoralism – the struggle to tame a difficult environment for economic gain

Accent Architects has a long history of undertaking heritage building projects in New Zealand and was pleased to have principal, Gina Jones selected to present a paper on heritage towns. The following is an abstract of Gina’s paper:
An hour from Wellington, on the other side of the Rimutaka Range, is the small town of Greytown.

Greytown owes its existence to the energy and initiative of early settlers in Wellington who were looking for small affordable portions of land to farm and to the assistance of the Governor, Sir George Grey. This was acknowledged by the settlers who named the town Greytown in his honour.

In late March 1854 the first party of six intrepid souls, including one woman, their possessions carried by 4 bullocks, crossed the Rimutakas on foot and arrived to camp near Cobblestones. A small memorial shelter marks the spot today. They immediately set to work to build shelters and small cottages. Within five years more substantial buildings, shops, hotels and larger houses were built.

Conservation of trees and the environment has always been important for local citizens. In 1890 the first Arbor Day planting in New Zealand was held in Greytown - trees from that planting still stand.

When the railway by-passed Greytown in the 1870s, Greytown's position as the pre-eminent town in the Wairarapa slowly declined. In a strange way this has helped modern Greytown, as little building went on from 1920 to 1970 and the colonial buildings with their exotic trees were left largely untouched.

The current inhabitants of the town are increasingly proud of their heritage. Old buildings have generally been sensitively upgraded and put to new purposes ... cafes, craft shops, week-end cottages and homes of Wellington commuters. Protection was provided to the central part of Greytown by way of the District Plan – however with a property boom in 2007 this was found not to be enough and developers and kitset homes moved to town and onto the Main Street. This enraged locals and visitors alike. This paper is about what locals did to fight back!

Broken Hill proved to be an inspired location for the conference themes of historic towns, industrial heritage, and pastoralism. All three categories were well represented and the tours to historical outback stations and abandoned mining buildings were one-off opportunities.

The timing of the conference was also notable in that the entire township and mining operation buildings of Broken Hill were in the process of being assessed for listing as a ‘National Heritage Site’.