Louise Wright (architect)

Louise Wright (née Ryan) is a New Zealand Māori architect.[1] She is of Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and Rongowhakaata descent.[2]

Louise Wright
Born
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
OccupationArchitect
SpouseJustin Wright
PracticeAssembly Architects
BuildingsThe Sawtooth House
Websiteassembly.co.nz

Biography

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Wright studied architecture at Victoria University of Wellington, where she won a scholarship to study for a semester in Rome, Italy.[1] After graduating, she worked for Ian Athfield's firm, Athfield Architects, for five years.[3]

In 2005 she co-founded Assembly Architects, which focused on residential work and projects for Wellington Zoo.[4] In 2012 the practice moved to Arrowtown, in the South Island of New Zealand, and began to specialise in high-end homes.[5][6] Thermal performance in construction has become a focus of Wright's work, and rammed earth construction is a feature of many of her designs.[1]

In 2017 Wright was the convener of the awards jury for the New Zealand Architecture Awards.[7] In 2014 she was appointed to the New Zealand Registered Architects Board.[2][8] Wright is active in the Southern Lakes district, as a member of the Jack's Point Design Review Board and the Arrowtown Planning Advisory Group.[8]

Awards and recognition

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In 2013, a pavilion at Wellington Zoo, co-designed by Wright and two colleagues, won a New Zealand Architecture Award for Small Project Architecture.[4] In 2017 The Sawtooth House, co-designed by Wright, won a housing award at the New Zealand Institute of Architects Southern Architecture Awards.[9][10] In 2020, Wright won the Wirihana Leadership Award at the Architecture + Women NZ Dulux Awards.

Personal life

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Wright is married to fellow architect Justin Wright. The couple have three children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Chats with Louise Wright of Assembly Architects". Homestyle Magazine. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b "AWNZ". AWNZ. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Dynamic duo". Urbis Magazine. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b Rinaldi, Marco (31 May 2013). "WELLINGTON ZOO HUB BY ASSEMBLY ARCHITECTS LIMITED – aasarchitecture". Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. ^ "ASSEMBLY ARCHITECTS". Assembly Architects | Leading Architects in the Queenstown Lakes District. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ^ Khouri, Camille (21 November 2018). "Architects in Profile: Assembly Architects". Architecture Now. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Buildings in region shortlisted for NZ Architecture Awards". NZ Herald. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b "New Zealand Registered Architects Board – The Board". www.nzrab.nz. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  9. ^ HAWKES, COLLEEN (26 October 2017). "Award-winning Queenstown house selling for nearly triple recent RV". Stuff. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Sawtooth | Queenstown". Assembly Architects | Leading Architects in the Queenstown Lakes District. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2023.