Melanie Pau
Changing architectural design into an essentially collaborative process
Collaboration is central to Melanie Pau’s work. Into her seventh year as an architect with Auckland firm Stevens Lawson Architects, her projects have included a multi-unit housing development for Ngāti Whātua in Orakei and residences in Herne Bay and Hawke’s Bay. All involve working closely with others from various disciplines.
“Once a building has been designed, a lot of time is spent producing the technical drawings and collaborating with various consultants and suppliers. When construction begins, we carry out regular site visits and work closely with the builders. The end result of a building is the result of a lot of collaboration,” she says.
Even at school Melanie knew architecture was her future. At university she was quick to distinguish herself with the Onehunga Primary School entranceway project, which won a Design Institute of New Zealand Best Design Award in 2013.
She then focused her attention on getting a job at Stevens Lawson, a place that continues to inspire her. “Stevens Lawson is a design-intensive company with the aim of creating contemporary and innovative architecture. It is exciting work and a privilege to be part of these projects.” Within the company she found “two incredible female architects”, Misako Mitchell and Yvette Overdyck, who have been instrumental in both her personal and professional development. “When I first started working they trained me up and basically taught me everything from scratch. The jump from university to practice was big.”
Other key influencers are her mother Ai Lan Pau – “I never make a big decision without consulting my mum first. I’m a lot like her in personality, so she always understands exactly where I’m coming from or what I’m worried about” – and her women friends.
“I have some really amazing and talented girlfriends, who I treasure for both support and motivation.”
Although still early in her career, Melanie is determined to get as broad a range of experiences as possible and is undoubtedly a star on the rise. “I’m definitely driven by the end product – not only creating beautiful spaces, but also seeing the pleasure that my work can bring to our clients in realising something built for them.” See Melanie’s work at melaniepau.com.