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In conversation with architect Brian Riley

featuring Arthouse Architects

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Architect and associate at Arthouse Architects in Nelson, Brian Riley has a fine arts background specialising in jewellery, which he uses to inspire his architectural designs.

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ArchiPro: What do you love about designing community projects, such as the Lansdowne Sports Hub in Blenheim?

Brian Riley:I really like and enjoy doing community projects because they have a huge impact on what's happening in the community. I like working with people and I really like seeing people use the buildings that we create. These projects have a huge impact on their lives, and I love seeing people actually using my buildings.

AP: Tell me about your approach to architecture:

BR: My approach to architecture one might say is a little bit jewellery focused; I come from a fine arts background and jewellery was my focus. A lot of my buildings have a jewellery aspect about them, where there's an element that can be translated or used as a jewellery element. It's normally a feature or element that translates between jewellery and architecture.

Architect and associate at Arthouse Architects, Brian Riley.

AP: What inspires you?

BR: The thing that inspires me is seeing people in my buildings, using the buildings, and people being able to relate to the space that we've created, and it enhancing their lives.

AP: What is the focus at Arthouse Architects:

BR: Arthouse Architects is a practice across two cities, we're in Nelson and Christchurch, with about 20 people in the practice. We practice across all formats – we're doing a lot of educational work, medical work, and high-end housing, right through to some refurbishment work for Kainga Ora at the moment. We're a broad-based practice and one of the things we concentrate on and we're really proud of is that we're a collaborative practice. We like to work really closely with our clients and we like to work with communities.

Brian Riley was the lead architect on Blenheim's new Lansdowne Sports Hub, which features the multifaceted detail more commonly found in jewellery. Image credit: Infinitum.

AP: What does the future of architecture in New Zealand hold?

BR: I think the future of New Zealand architecture is exciting. There's some fantastic architects out there doing some incredible work. And I think with the move to sustainable architecture, New Zealand is at the forefront of that – I think we're going to be real world leaders.

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