Waitakere Architects & Project Managers

26/12/2018

I had great intentions of sending a Christmas message to all of our valued customers, loved friends and followers so you could all feel loved and important to us.
Then it got a bit Christmas Manic and I just didn't get around to it.
So now on boxing day I am in catch up mode for many things including this message to out Customers supporters associates and partners. We love you and hope you all had a wonderful day yeaterday celebrating Christmas 2018 with Family and Friends.

The office is officially closed until 8:30am on Monday 7th January howevfer I cunningly transfered the phones to Dniel Barringtons mobile so feel free to call the office anytime if you feel the need.

Its been quite a roller coaster year with our fellow director Peter Reyburn who you all know and love becoming unwell with serious LIver Cancer.
The only complete cure was a LIver Transplant
Peter was lucky enoiugh to receive the transplant in September after 10 monbth on the waiting list.
Its all gone very well and he is recovering as expected.
Unfortunately Peter has dfecided to Resign as a Director nand as an employee effective immediately to focus on his health and look to reduce the stresses in life.
Peter has worked with me for a little over 23 years so this came as a great shock.

We wish Peter every success in both his recovery and in his future pathway. Thanks Peter for the company for the successful association over the past 23 years, you will be missed by all.

We want to thanks our great partners in this industry, Clients who continue to have faith in our design skills, creative thinking, and professional skills to deliver fine buildings.
To the Contractors and their sub-contractors that build them, to the suppliers and secondary consultants that work with us a great big thanks.

To the Councils Mumble Mumble Mumble! not such a great year, still plenty of room for improvement in 2019 should the live that long!

We are excited about 2019. We have some great projects started, would like more of course. We have in 2018 refined many office systems and management processes and are certain that we will be able to provide the highest levels of professional service possible.

Have a wonderful holiday break, enjoy the New Years festivities ( Jan & I will see in the new year in Colombo).
We wish you and your every success, health and happiness for 2019.

Colin Daniel Craig, Peter, Sam, Martin, Robyn, Sophie, and Brianna.

22/12/2018

The Rotary Harbourside Chinese New Year fundraiser will support Cure Kids; on Saturday 23 February 2019. The Year of the Pig will bring excitement and goodwill to all families and friends of Rotary. Please check out the flyer and we hope to see you all - to celebrate Chinese New Year.

11/12/2018

An ex-detective says the Grace Millane case has "torn everyone apart".

14/08/2018

To all of the Teaches out there today, hoping for a speedy and successful outcome! Realise how hard it was for you to decide to take this action. You deserve better!!!

Colin & the team at Waitakere Architects & Project Mangers limited

22/05/2018

Was a lot of fun designing and seeing to the Construction of a new home for my buddies Wayne & Janet Eaton in Tauranga, really pleased with the result.
A small very tight inner city site surrounded on all sides with the street on the Northern Boundary, The concept was two pavilions stretching across the site with a transparent link around an internal sunny courtyard.
Have a look and see the result. See the album!

22/05/2018

22/05/2018

Several years ago we were commissioned by Mr & Mrs Ian Midgley to relocate their family farm house from the Westgate development area up to their rural property in Riverhead, Ian is a perfectionist and has done a wonderful job, its getting near to being completed including the renovation of the existing barn and the addition of a massive garage and racing car workshop and store facility.
Thought you might like to see what is possible with a few images (rush snaps from my phone).

28/01/2018

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE VERY BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR from us all at WAITAKERE architects & PROJECT MANAGERS LIMITED


Re: Waitakere Architects & Project Managers Limited

It has been another challenging year for everyone however, we have all just about made it. You will likely be trying to fill your final teacher placements for next year or feeling pretty satisfied if you have already achieved that.

We have enjoyed being of service to Auckland schools over the year and overall pleased with the outcomes. The challenges have been mostly around compliance requirements (you would be surprised to see the huge bulk of documentation needed to lodge building consents and the long timelines for processing). And the other area is large cost increases that it is impossible to keep up with. The Quantity Surveyors struggle to be accurate and sometimes estimate so high projects can't get off the ground and other times tenders are much higher than the estimate.

Whatever we are obliged to re visit project scopes and unfortunately end up lowering the clients' expectations, something that is never a pleasant experience.

The experience over the year with the Ministry of Educations new Helios K2 system has been mixed however we are starting to get used to it and am certain that it will be a significant improvement on the old PMIS information.

ILE's development projects have been varied and challenging. The most successful being those where the coal face staff have been given the training, appreciate the pedagogy and have worked together to develop their processes etc.

We enjoyed working in these schools and the positivity they bought to the process. Very proud of the outcome at Farmcove Intermediate School, Massey Primary School and Lincoln Heights School, all refurbishment works and all creating environments where it is difficult to remember what the old was like.

Working with these teams was most rewarding for us and we thank them for allowing us to be a part of it,

We have many schools where the "jury is still out", where a tread carefully approach is taken and we have enjoyed the challenges in this.

As you will be aware, we were delighted to be appointed to the Ministry of Educations approved provider panel for 10-year plan preparation and capital works projects up to $10 million. We were so excited we changed the company and spent considerable effort in defining processes and internal quality management systems to provide independent project management services.

In the past year, we have been invited to quote for a disabled ramp project and a master planning exercise for a smaller school and we failed to be selected for both.

It seems the Ministry of Education are either doing nothing or that the must use procurement process is diverted from.

Thank fully our service to our client schools is strongly supported and we are very grateful for this.

From us all at Waitakere Architects & Project Managers Limited we wish you a very Merry Christmas and trust you and yours will have a restful recharge for the New Year.

Yours Sincerely
WAITAKERE ARCHITECTS & PROJECT MANAGERS LTD



Colin Pauling ANZIA, B.Arch

02/08/2017

Time seems to go faster as we get older!!!
Ritchies $18m depot in Swanson turned 3 this year.

Waitakere Architects were the Principal Consultants for this project to relocate Richies Bus Services and storage of their transport services in West Auckland, It opened in April 2014 The Client was Ritchies Transport Holdings depot.
The $18 million complex in Swanson was officially opened by Prime Minister John Key.
Ritchies came to West Auckland in 1980 with a fleet of 10 buses.
There are now 132 buses parked on the new 2.5ha site and more than 300 staff are employed in the west alone.
The company provides school bus services, tour coaches and urban bus services.
Managing director Andrew Ritchie said it was a big financial commitment but been very successful.

"Ritchies is family owned and has been transporting Kiwis as a company for over 80 years and is putting our confidence in the future of public transport in Auckland," he says.
"It's good facilities for the staff and that should follow through to the travelling public."
The new depot features a memorial to the late John Ritchie, founder of the transport company, who died on July 14, 2010.

Great to remember this milestone project and to hear that its working well, Thanks for having Waitakere Architects involved.