Art and Calculus were Claudia van Velthooven’s favourite topics in school, and she knew from then she wanted to be an architect.

“I love the idea that our built environment is, in some respects, the biggest form of public artwork and I want to be a part of crafting it.”

The Architecture programme has provided Claudia with opportunities to develop her skills and grow as a person. This included the chance to spend a semester in Mexico on a student exchange.

“This was an incredible opportunity and gave me a new perspective on architectural design. I was immersed in a different culture and gained a new awareness of the beauty in cultural diversity and the impact this has on our designed environments.”

In her fifth year of study, Claudia is looking at computational design methods. She has found the University to be flexible and supportive throughout her studies. As a keen volleyball player, during her second year she was selected to travel to China as part of the New Zealand women’s volleyball team.

The University worked with Claudia to ensure she could take the trip without it affecting her studies.

She is hoping to head to a conference overseas later this year to present her thesis and appreciates the support the University offers.

“The University has been very encouraging, offering conference funding, and numerous scholarships are also available.”

Claudia will be moving straight into a job in Melbourne when she finishes her studies.

“I’ve been offered a position at Warren and Mahoney. Melbourne has a very exciting architectural scene and I think this will be a great follow on from my studies at Victoria University of Wellington.”

Emily’s research explored how architects can combine the pragmatic and the poetic. It led to her winning the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) Student Design Award, the top honour for architecture students in the country.

Emily designed two series of small, 10m2, timber cabins and applied the findings to develop a larger 100m2 timber house. She looked at key design features that could contribute positively to the poetic narrative the building has with its landscape, and to improving the thermal and energy performance of the building.

Her designs were developed to suit the area around Lake Moke, near Queenstown, stemming from her personal connection with the area and its high demand for building developments.

Emily used a software called ArchiCAD to construct her designs and test the performance of different design elements.

“I knew from previous work experience that this software, and similar software, had limitations, due to being semi-automated,” says Emily. “So another goal of my project was to test ArchiCAD’s performance calculations against a similar software called Revit to see how accurate these semi-automated simulation platforms were at measuring thermal performance and energy consumption of buildings using New Zealand's timber construction techniques. I was able to define some of the inaccuracies and develop solutions to getting a more reasonable result.”

This work has led to some exciting opportunities, including a presentation at a conference in Hong Kong and the chance to beta-test a new plugin for the ArchiCAD software that could be used to simulate thermal bridges to give a more detailed understanding of the building envelope.

Emily says her Master’s project is a culmination of all her previous practical work experience, architectural education, and research.

“It was a challenge to combine all of my interests into one project, but with the help of my supervisors, the scope of the project came together.”

Find out more about Emily’s project

Tessa Lynch was drawn to the Master’s programme as a means to explore her interest in architecture in a deeper way and develop a specialisation she was passionate about.

Her research advocated wellbeing as a central focus in the design of our built environments, and she situated the research within an important environment for students— the university campus.

“We know that social and spatial environments can affect our mental health,” says Tessa. “But it is an under-researched field which needs motivation to stimulate discussion and change.

“The outcome of my research was a resource to guide the design of tertiary spaces supportive of wellbeing. I developed a conceptual framework alongside five intervention points, which could have a positive effect on student wellbeing if implemented as a system.”

Tessa ran focus groups with students and installed a temporary lounge in the atrium of the Te Aro campus, a collaboration with the Student Architecture Network New Zealand (SANNZ), to engage students in the research.

“What excited me most about the research was working closely with students. One of the most important goals was to capture a diverse range of students’ needs and views. Through focus groups, I met with students across disciplines and campuses. Spatial wellbeing priorities were identified, and different understandings of wellbeing were unpacked.

“Students desired more comfortable spaces—this was a recurring theme, which motivated the SANNZ lounge installation. We drove around Wellington with a trailer in tow, collecting furniture from students’ flats on loan for the week.”

“I saw my research come to life during the lounge installation. It gave me confidence in the process of engaging and implementing the findings from the focus group discussion and literature.”

Tessa’s supervisor, Emina Petrovic, shared her motivation to explore architecture for social change.

“Emina encouraged me to work to my own strengths and supported the multidisciplinary nature that the research became. She wholeheartedly supported and guided me through the entire project.”