Blog | Sills van Bohemen

FARM House wins in Home of the Year

June 4, 2021

FARM House has won the Multi-Unit Home of the Year for 2021. In Aotearoa/New Zealand we must use our existing urban areas more sustainably. Gentle density is one approach – where we design houses that are similar in scale and character […]

Recent Tweets

Christina vanBohemen
Tweeted 3 months ago

Sills van Bohemen is excited to be a finalist for Home of the Year 2021 for the FARM house! @homenewzealand https://t.co/GY6hgEd1E0

Christina vanBohemen
Tweeted 3 months ago

RT @BrentToderian: If walking costs you $1, we all pay $0.01. If biking costs you $1, we all pay $0.08. If bussing costs you $1, we all pay…

Christina vanBohemen
Tweeted 3 months ago

Way to go! https://t.co/Nrh2dtT2Fo

Christina vanBohemen
Tweeted 3 months ago

Why is red not painted on the road??? https://t.co/ME3dzXr343

Christina vanBohemen
Tweeted 4 months ago

RT @ElectoralCommNZ: Today we celebrate women, and the fight for inclusivity and equality. ?? These brave pioneers worked to have women’s v…

NEVER HAVE I EVER

February 18, 2021

NEAT PLACES asked Christina for her Auckland recommendations for their ongoing series of city guides.

Homestyle Magazine

Interview with Christina, Why Christina van Bohemen of Sills van Bohemen just says yes

Chrystall Excellence Award 2020

August 24, 2020

Christina has been recognised for the significant impact she has made on the architectural profession and for raising awareness for design’s importance in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Architecture + Women organisation presented the award to Christina last week during the […]

Borca di Cadore

September 10, 2018

This is a story about a village in the Dolomites region in Italy. Borca di Cadore is a small village 20 minutes down the valley from Cortina d’Ampezzo (a.k.a. Cortina, the host town of the 1956 Winter Olympics). […]

C40 Reinventing Cities Competition Finalists

August 26, 2018

The Te Kōpua team, which includes Sills van Bohemen, has made it through as one of five finalists in a global design competition. Last year, two Henderson sites – the Falls and Alderman carparks – were nominated for Reinventing Cities, […]

America’s Cup Base Proposals

August 27, 2017

Paperboy (Auckland weekly magazine) asked us, along with other design firms, to consider where the next America’s Cup team bases could be located, and to provide a single image to illustrate the proposal. In the long tradition of cities using […]

The Floating Theatre

April 16, 2017

Just before Christmas 2016 Mark and James pulled out all the stops to quickly provide Stephen Bain with construction drawings for his proposed Floating Theatre. Somehow Stephen managed to wrangle it all into a successful production that ran in February […]

Save John Scott’s Aniwaniwa Centre

August 24, 2016

Both the online journal Architecture Now and Radio New Zealand have published stories about the fight to save John Scott’s Aniwaniwa Visitors Centre in Te Urewera. The building is a Heritage New Zealand Category One Historic Place and a fine […]

76 Small Rooms Interview Christina

The crew of Jeremy Hansen, Natasha Markham, Mat Brown and Richard Archibald over at 76 Small Rooms have a new interview with Christina up on Soundcloud. They talk about her new role as President, and what her goals will be during […]

Metro Magazine Profile

Chris Barton has written a nice piece in Metro Magazine on the NZIA’s new president. Chris usually writes the regular, and highly recommended, Urban Design column in that journal while also teaching at the University of Auckland’s architecture school.

From the Top

August 18, 2016

Christina has been interviewed by Justine Harvey at Architecture Now about her new role as president of the NZ Institute of Architects.

NZ at Venice

June 19, 2016

Building the future: New Zealand at the ‘Olympics of architecture’, the Venice Biennale By Michael Barrett

‘Dealing with council, I’m in combat mode’ – The Coco’s Cantina sisters on doing business in Auckland City

It shouldn’t be this difficult for our local. ‘Dealing with council, I’m in combat mode’ – The Coco’s Cantina sisters on doing business in Auckland City Spinoff Duncan Greive

Takapuna Urban Planning

May 17, 2016

We’ve done urban planning work with North Shore Council and then Auckland Council in Takapuna over many years. Some finds its way into documents such as the The Takapuna Centre Plan. (12MB)

Interview: Sheila O’Donnell & John Tuomey

June 1, 2015

Aaron interviewed Sheila O’Donnell & John Tuomey when they were in New Zealand recently – one week after they were awarded their RIBA Royal Gold Medal in recognition of their substantial contribution to international architecture. AS: Can we start with some […]

Lighter Quicker Cheaper Resource Guide

Lighter Quicker Cheaper Resource Guide: There is growing momentum to get “back to the basics” of what makes cities thrive. Many of the most effective and immediate solutions are lighter, quicker, and cheaper than traditional top-down approaches to improving cities. […]

More Awards for Hurstmere Green

May 16, 2015

Hurstmere Green was recognised again as Kalmar Construction picked up two awards at the 2015 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards last week. Their excellent work on Hurstmere Green received a National Category Award for projects of $2 million – $5 million […]

Dowelpipe

March 29, 2015

An experimental downpipe for a residential project. It did work – but we’re still waiting to use it on a project.

Live Pedestrian Counts in Auckland

March 17, 2015

Get your live pedestrian counts for Karangahape Road and other parts of the central city here.

Public Use of Devices in Public Spaces

July 30, 2014

This is an interesting article by Keith Hampton about research comparing contemporary use of public spaces with similar research in the 1970s and 1980s by William “Holly” Whyte. Upshot is we’re using public space more and technology use does not reduce […]

The Best Urban Design Decision Vancouver Ever Made

July 13, 2014

Brent Toderian in an article about the best urban design decision that Vancouver ever made – the 1997 decision to prioritize active transport rather than trying to balance ways of getting around.

Where do the children play?

May 21, 2014

Karen Witten et al are part way through a study focused on understanding city children’s relationships with their urban environments. Researchers looked at approximately 250 children from nine Auckland schools that varied in location, housing density, street connectivity, land use […]

New Zealand Architecture Award for Hurstmere Green

May 10, 2014

Hurstmere Green was awarded a NZIA New Zealand Architecture Award last night at an awards function held at Shed 10 on Queens Wharf.

Awaroa Masterclass Stutchbury & Leplastrier

April 27, 2014

Christina and I were recently at a small conference on Milson Island, on the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney. The weekend included various speakers but at its centre were the Australian architects Peter Stutchbury and Richard Leplastrier and the primary […]

Paper Architecture

November 5, 2013

While the rest of the world has moved on to 3d printers we’d still like to have a laser cutter in the office. Commissioned by the Library Council of the Museum of Modern Art, Danish architect, Olafur Eliasson, made this beautiful book, […]

NZIA Auckland Award for Hurstmere Green

October 21, 2013

Hurstmere Green received an NZIA Auckland Award last week. It was awarded in the Urban Design and Planning category and the citation read: “Taking its lead from the iconic landscape features of Lake Pupuke and Rangitoto, this rejuvenated park now […]

Liaisons dangereuses

The below extracted from the New Zealand Institute of Architects Bulletin 18 October 2013. Written by John Walsh, Communications Manager of NZIA. Thanks to John for letting us republish. “New Zealand’s lack of a satirical tradition could be ascribed to an […]

2013 Supreme Concrete3 Sustainability Award

October 7, 2013

Hurstmere Green has won the 2013 Supreme Concrete3 Sustainability Award.

Hurstmere Green Article

June 21, 2013

Landscape Architecture magazine has published Hurstmere Green. The article which includes photos is here.

Bikes, bikes, bikes

May 27, 2013

New York kicks off the new Bike-share programme this week. Streetfilms has a short film.

Hurstmere Green on Auckland Eye

May 6, 2013

Auckland Eye blog has posted on Hurstmere Green here.

Article for BLOCK Magazine

June 26, 2012

The editors of this esteemed organ have requested autobiographical writing on this city’s architects and “what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and why”. A lot of what we do is the same as any other small practice: […]

Of urban planning and women in architecture

February 22, 2012

Christina was interviewed by Idealog Magazine recently.

Letter to the Listener Editor

February 13, 2012

Auckland Plan & Ralston – Christina’s response to Bill Ralston’s column in the Listener.

SvB Public Presentation

September 15, 2010

Aaron and Christina presented work of the practice in September as part of the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries’ Fast Forward Lecture Series.

Queens Wharf Stage 2

November 16, 2009

A design for the second stage of the Queens Wharf design competition has been lodged with organisers.

Arts on Sunday Radio Interview

October 11, 2009

Christina was interviewed by Lynne Freeman on the ‘Arts on Sunday’ radio show, Radio NZ National. The discussion covered Auckland Architecture Week 2009 organised by the NZIA Auckland Branch.

Queens Wharf Stage 1 Finalist

October 1, 2009

A concept design by SvB in conjunction with Construkt Architects has been selected as 1 of 5 finalists for Stage 1 of the ‘Opening the Red Gates’ Design Competition.

Noelle Radio Interview

January 1, 2009

Christina was interviewed by Noelle McCarthy on the Summer Noelle radio show, Radio New Zealand National. The interview covered the state of architecture and urban design in New Zealand.

Talbot Park

May 15, 2008

Aaron’s research/case study on Talbot Park, a community renewal project initiated by Housing New Zealand in Glen Innes, Auckland.

20 Buildings

November 15, 2007

Review of favourite for the 20th anniversary of Architecture NZ magazine.

Hurstmere Green Design Concept Chosen

August 17, 2007

Sills van Bohemen Architecture’s design concept for a public park in Takapuna town centre has been selected from four alternatives.

Frontseat Appearance

April 27, 2007

Christina’s television debut.

Apartment design publication launched

March 15, 2007

The 135 page publication Good Solutions Guide for Apartments written by Sills van Bohemen has been launched this week at a function in North Shore City.