Women in architecture
For the next instalment of our Architecture+Women NZ series, we spoke to members Maggie Carroll and Jessica Walker of Bureaux.
Maggie Carroll and Jessica Walker.
What led you to your careers in architecture?
Jess: Strangely, we’d both planned to study medicine, but somewhat inadvertently ended up at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture, thanks to chance conversations and the realisation that it’d be a good fit for our shared love of arts and sciences.
You’ve been running your Aucklandbased practice Bureaux together since 2010 — how has it evolved over the years?
Maggie: We started with just the two of us working collaboratively, and founded Bureaux in the aftermath of the GFC, when most architectural studios were scrambling to stay alive.
It was a magical time, because we were young and carefree, and the financial climate was so perilous that we had the opportunity not to care about money and just run with ideas and experiment with architecture, interiors and events. We worked hard and sometimes for free, but it was worth it.
During that time, we were fortunate to establish some long-lasting client relationships, and have since earned a reputation for our commitment to the industry, to design and to people. Today, we’re proud of growing Bureaux to become a talented team of 11.
Do you work together on projects or divide and conquer?
Jess: We love the journeys we go on with our clients, and those initial discussions and sparking of ideas is something we really enjoy doing together. Depending on the scale of the project and the other work we’re involved in, we then divide and deliver along with the Bureaux team.
You work on everything from buildings to the bespoke furniture inside them — what do you enjoy most about this approach?
Jess: We believe good architecture isn’t just about the bones of a building. We love that we can fully realise our vision for each project, and the chairs you sit on and plates you eat off are all part of it.