10 Questions with John Irving of Studio John Irving Architects

What’s your background and how did you end up doing what you do? Have you always had an aesthetic eye?
I always drew growing up, so I went to university and did sciences. I was hopeless at it so I thought architecture would be a good way to keep drawing. No I didn’t have a good eye at all, my first 2 years at architecture school I was rubbish but I found my feet towards the end, these things take time.

‍What is a typical day in your studio like?
It's usually pretty fun, I have a great bunch who keep things lively and noisy. I am all over everything that we do, so I spend a lot of my time going from person to person and moving things around. The stuff we have on the boards right now amazes me. I am now getting to do the things I naively thought architects did when I was at architecture school.

‍What are you currently working on?
As well as city pads we are doing a lot of coastal holiday homes on some amazing sites. I am getting into high end leisure stuff with the Te Arai Links golf courses, we are the lead architects there so we are doing all the guest accommodation as well as the clubhouse, the restaurant, a bunker bar and a pizza barn so that’s all very exciting. Our projects are all over the country which is fun, we are doing a home that’s a bridge, one that floats, one that’s dug into the hill, one that flies, one that parties hard, one that is introverted, one that’s a cloak and some elemental looking sculptural homes. Good times.

‍