Ian Athfield

In 1968 he was a principal partner in setting up Athfield Architects with Ian Dickson and Graeme John Boucher.

• Name — Sir Ian Athfield • Honorific Suffix — KNZM • Born — 15 July 1940 • Birthplace — Christchurch, New Zealand • Died — 16 January 2015 • Place of death — Wellington, New Zealand • Education — University of Auckland • Practice — Athfield Architects

• Illustration — A documentary 'Architect Athfield' (1979), which examines the frustrations and achievements of one of New Zealand's most lively and innovative architects. 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". • Illustration — Wellington City Library 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. Following the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, Athfield was appointed as an Architectural Ambassador to Christchurch. 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.

Some of Athfield's buildings have had weathertightness issues. These include St Paul's, a four-building apartment complex in Mulgrave Street, completed in 1999. In 2012, the chairman of the apartment block's body corporate said that the complex "leaked all over the place". Roofs needed to be repaired because the gutters were so flat that water ponded in them. When water overflowed the gutters, it went into the building. In addition, there was corrosion around windows and incorrectly installed concrete walls that leaked. Staircases had to be reclad at a cost of more than $1 million, and the total to permanently repair all the faults in the complex was estimated to be $20 million. At Eastern Hutt School, five Ian Athfield-designed leaky buildings completed in 1996 cost over $300,000 to repair, and an award-winning home in Roseneath designed by Athfield in the 1970s was renovated in 2021 after " suffering from leaks and lacking insulation".

Athfield married Clare Cookson in Kawakawa on 22 December 1962. They had two sons. 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. Athfield died in 2015 at Wellington Hospital, where he was being treated for prostate cancer. Complications from a routine procedure resulted in pneumonia.

• Athfield House, Wellington (begun 1968) • Arlington Council Flats, Wellington (1970) (demolished 2021) • Logan House (1974–75) • Cox House, Wellington (1975) • Manila, Philippines, housing project competition (1975–76) • Young House (1978) • Porteous House (1979) • Buck House, Te Mata Estate, Hawkes Bay (1980) • First Church of Christ Science, Wellington (1982–83) • Moore Wilson's facade, Wellington (1984) • Logical CSI House, Wellington (1986–87) • 226 Oriental Parade, Wellington (1988) • Telecom on Manners Street, Wellington (1988) • Wellington Central Library, Wellington (1991) • Civic Square, Wellington (1992) • Extensions to Student Union building, Victoria University of Wellington (1992) • Palmerston North City Library extensions (1997) • Sam Neill House, Queenstown (1998) • Rooftop additions to Te Puni Kōkiri House, Wellington (1998–99) • Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington (1999) • Alan Duff House (2000) • St Pauls Apartments, Wellington (2000) • Lancaster Park extensions, Christchurch (with Architectus, 2002) • Odlins Building/NZX refurbishment, Wellington (2005) • TheNewDowse Museum, Lower Hutt, Wellington (2006) • Chews Lane Precinct, Wellington (2009) • Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington (begun 2006) • Selwyn District Council offices, Canterbury (2007) • Pipitea House, Wellington (2011; headquarters of the GCSB) • Wellington Marine Education Centre (proposed, denied by the Environment Court in 2007 on appeal; new location proposed) • 1–8 Clyde Quay Wharf (officially opened on Wednesday, 18 June 2014), Wellington – formerly the Overseas Passenger Terminal • Tommy Millions pizza kiosk on Courtenay Place, Wellington • Kate Sheppard Exchange, Wellington (proposed) • 109 Featherston Street, Wellington (proposed) • Illustration — Arlington Council Flats, Wellington (demolished 2021) • Illustration — Buck House, Te Mata Estate • Illustration — Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington • Illustration — Wellington Central Library • Illustration — Civic Square, Wellington • Illustration — Odlins Building/NZX, Wellington • Illustration — Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt • Illustration — Chews Lane precinct, Wellington