Ian Athfield Explained

Sir Ian Athfield
Birth Date:15 July 1940
Birth Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Death Place:Wellington, New Zealand
Alma Mater:University of Auckland
Practice:Athfield Architects

Sir Ian Charles Athfield (15 July 1940 – 16 January 2015) was a New Zealand architect. He was born in Christchurch and graduated from the University of Auckland in 1963 with a Diploma of Architecture. That same year he joined Structon Group Architects, and he became a partner in 1965. In 1968 he was a principal partner in setting up Athfield Architects with Ian Dickson and Graeme John Boucher. Athfield died in 2015 due to complications from a routine procedure which resulted in pneumonia, at the Wellington Hospital, where he was being treated for prostate cancer.[1]

Projects

In 1965 Athfield started work on his first major project, Athfield House, for his family and a studio. Located in Khandallah, Wellington, this distinctive group of structures stands out amongst neighbouring conventional suburban houses. His early projects were constructed with a broad palette of materials including corrugated iron, plaster, stainless steel and fibre glass. As a reaction to much of the bland "Modern" architecture of the period, Athfield built in a deliberately vernacular style using features harking back to colonial buildings. His designs incorporated finials, steeply pitched roofs, timber weatherboards, verandahs and double hung windows. He was also inspired by the architecture of the Greek Islands with their exterior envelopes of continuous plaster and small windows. Conversely, he also much admired the buildings of Mies van der Rohe with their precise and refined detailing of industrial materials.

Yet another area of influence for Athfield was the geometric massing of the Japanese Metabolists. Athfield combined all these disparate elements into a highly eclectic and personal style. During the 1970s Athfield built and renovated numerous domestic houses and buildings, developing a distinctive and highly personal design approach based on the repetition of small scale elements and complex massing. Critical opposition to these 'cartoon houses' did not bother him. Another criticism of Athfield's houses were that they were built for charm and not practicality. Athfield believed, however, that "in a house, you should get a surprise every time you turn a corner and look up".

Athfield's practice expanded during the 1980s from mainly residential work to a wider variety of community and commercial buildings. As well as continuing to work on small-scale projects, his portfolio includes churches, pubs, council flats, stadiums and commercial high-rise buildings. Athfield's best known works include Telecom Towers, Civic Square and Wellington Central Library, Jade Stadium in Christchurch and work on the design of the Bangkok rapid transport system.

He was a President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, judged many design competitions and was a keynote speaker at many overseas conferences. His firm's later projects included Chews Lane Precinct, the Wellington Overseas Passenger Terminal redevelopment and the Wellington Marine Education Centre.

A documentary on Athfield, Architect of Dreams, was produced for the NZ Documentary Festival.[2]

Following the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, Athfield was appointed as an Architectural Ambassador to Christchurch.[3] In 2012, architectural historian Julia Gatley published a book called Athfield Architects, about Athfield and his firm, following an exhibition she curated at the City Gallery Wellington.[4]

Awards and honours

Athfield won over 60 national and international architecture and design awards. In 1976 he won first prize in the International Competition for the Urban Environment of Developing Countries. In 1978 he was placed first equal in a Low Cost Housing Design Competition in Fiji. He won 13 NZIA Supreme Awards for his outstanding architectural projects. In 2004 he won the New Zealand Institute of Architects' highest honour, the Gold Medal. Athfield was the first New Zealand architect to register as an APEC architect.

Athfield was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[5] In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to architecture,[6] and in the 2015 New Year Honours he was promoted to Knight Companion of the same order.[7]

He received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997 from the University of Auckland,[8] and in 2000 he was awarded an honorary LitD by Victoria University of Wellington.[9] Accepting his honorary doctorate on 18 April, Athfield stated:[10]

I accept this on behalf of architects, designers, plumbers and gas fitters. We have suffered at the hands of accountants and engineers for too long. (Ian Athfield, 2000)

Personal life

Athfield married Clare Cookson in Kawakawa on 22 December 1962. They had two sons.[11] Clare, an interior designer, played an important role in many projects at Athfield Architects and her work was a significant reason for the firm's success.

Notable works

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sir Ian Athfield dies. Stuff. 2015-06-17. Bradwell. Simon. Hunt. Tom. Complications from a routine procedure at Wellington Hospital resulted in pneumonia. He was being treated for prostate cancer..
  2. Web site: Architect of Dreams (2008) DOCNZ 2009 Documentary Film Festival. 2008. Documentary Film Festival 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120214132317/http://www.docnz.org.nz/2009/wgtn/film/architect-of-dreams. 14 February 2012.
  3. Web site: Architectural Ambassador appointed (1pm, 14 September 2010). Ccc.govt.nz. 18 January 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150205213147/http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2010/201009143.aspx. 5 February 2015.
  4. Book: Gatley, Julia . Athfield Architects . 2012 . Auckland University Press . 978-1-86940-591-5 . Auckland, New Zealand . 795819749.
  5. Book: Taylor . Alister . Coddington . Deborah . Alister Taylor . Deborah Coddington . Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand . 1994 . New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa . Auckland . 0-908578-34-2 . 51.
  6. Web site: Queen's Birthday honours list 1996 . 3 June 1996 . Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . 20 July 2020.
  7. Web site: New Year honours list 2015 . 31 December 2014 . Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . 13 January 2018.
  8. Web site: Ian Athfield – DipArch . University of Auckland . 4 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100604232455/http://www.alumni.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/af-ian-athfield . 4 June 2010.
  9. Web site: Honorary graduates and Hunter fellowships | Victoria University of Wellington. victoria.ac.nz. 16 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20190626113012/https://www.victoria.ac.nz/about/victorias-story/history/honorary-graduates. 26 June 2019. dead.
  10. Book: Weir . Jim . Jim Weir (diplomat) . Strong language: very quotable New Zealand quotes . 2007 . . Auckland . 978-1-86966-182-3 . 20.
  11. Web site: 19 May 2023 . Ian Charles Athfield . Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  12. News: The Wellingtonian interview: Ian Athfield . The Wellingtonian . 25 June 2009 . 16 January 2015 . Romanos, Joseph.
  13. Web site: WellUrban: Nightmare on Taranaki St. Wellurban.blogspot.com. 18 January 2015.
  14. News: Wellington to get 300 new public homes in $296m development. Dominion Post. 17 February 2022. Joel. MacManus.
  15. Architect of Dreams, directed by Geoffrey Cawthorn, produced by Richard Riddiford.
  16. Web site: Rough Guides. https://archive.today/20111003070746/http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=83&xid=idh389604792_0517. dead. 3 October 2011. Roughguides.com. 18 January 2015.
  17. Web site: Kelburn Campus Plaques Victoria University of Wellington. 18 June 2015. Victoria University of Wellington. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070808190438/http://www2.vuw.ac.nz/home/about_victoria/plaques.html. 8 August 2007.
  18. Web site: Home – Architectus. Architectus.com.au. 18 January 2015.
  19. Web site: Chews Lane Precinct :: Homepage. Chewslane.co.nz. 18 January 2015. dead. 19 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140419100930/http://chewslane.co.nz/.
  20. Web site: Wellington Waterfront. Wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz. 18 January 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130504181222/http://www.wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz/development/Taranaki_street_wharf/. 4 May 2013.
  21. Web site: Clyde Quay Wharf Officially Opens » Clyde Quay Wharf. www.clydequaywharf.co.nz. 17 June 2015.
  22. Web site: Wellington toilets may become pizza kiosk. Stuff. 18 January 2015. The Dominion Post (Wellington).
  23. Web site: Kate Sheppard Exchange, For Lease, Office, Wellington Central, Wellington. 18 June 2015. Colliers International. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120219050814/http://www.colliers.co.nz/6802/. 19 February 2012 .
  24. Web site: Investment Management – Managed Funds – AMP Capital New Zealand. Ampcapital.co.nz. 18 January 2015.
  25. Web site: $90m plan for new waterfront tower. 9 October 2008. Stuff. The Dominion Post (Wellington). Calman. Matt.

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