Our Team

We are a NZIA registered architectural practice, working predominantly in and around Ōtautahi Christchurch. We do take on work further afield, and get involved in projects all around New Zealand.

Our studio is on Cashel Mall in the city center.

Because we believe in a good work-life balance, our studio is open Monday to Thursday. Fridays are for family time, outside interests and life admin.

 

Karen Manson

Karen graduated from the University of Auckland, moving to the U.K soon after where she worked for 10 years. She has worked on a range of large urban renewal and housing development schemes, including the RIBA award-winning Officer’s Field development in Weymouth, UK.

This developed her expertise in designing for spatial efficiency, urban design and sparked her interest in thermal design. Since returning to New Zealand she has become a certified Passive House designer and established Meta Architects to provide higher quality housing to New Zealanders.

Contact

karen@metaarchitects.co.nz
022 044 2176 

Specialisms

Concept design
Project strategy
Key client liaison
Urban design
Multi-unit, medium and high density housing
Residential space planning
Passive house

Qualifications

B.AS, B.Arch (hons)
Certified passive house designer
L.B.P (Design 2)


Amanda Crosby

Amanda is an architectural graduate with a Master of Architecture from Victoria University. In 2015 she moved to Christchurch to work for Warren and Mahoney on various commercial, civic, and tertiary education projects.

During university, she became interested in high-performance buildings and participated in the Solar Decathlon - an architectural competition to build innovative, efficient homes.

Contact

amanda@metaarchitects.co.nz
022 044 2160 

Specialisms
Building consent submission and administration
Concept documentation
Lifemark Homes assessments

Qualifications

B.AS M.Arch (Prof)


Noel Guilfoyle

Noel is an Architectural Technician and Passive House consultant from Ireland with a Masters Environmental Architecture.

He has a practical approach and an interest in the construction and documentation behind a building, just as much as how it looks aesthetically and performs for the client or people who occupy the space.

He has experience in the architecture industry in Ireland, Canada, and Australia and is passionate about high-performance buildings. Since moving to New Zealand, Noel has worked on various residential, commercial, and educational projects.

Contact

noel@metaarchitects.co.nz
022 044 2160

Specialisms

Multi-unit, medium-density housing
Passive House
Homestar assessments
Building Consent documentation

Qualifications

Diploma in Architectural Technology
Msc Architectural: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies
Certified passive house consultant
Homestar Assessor

 

Chris Dopheide

Chris is a Registered Architect. He splits his time between being a director of Meta Architects and working as a project architect at another architectural practice. At Meta Architects Chris provides governance advice as well as quality assurance for both technical and design elements.

Contact

studio@metaarchitects.co.nz

Specialisms

Governance
Technical quality assurance
Design critiques

Qualifications

B.AS, B.Arch (hons)
ANZIA Reg Arch

 

Wider Team

Since we’re a small practice, we reach out to trusted friends in the industry for critiques on all our projects. An outside perspective can help us clarify our design moves, and we value the diversity of opinion that our reviewers bring to our work.