WORDS JENNY RUDD PHOTOS TRACIE HEASMAN

Having sound architectural credentials is a given when you've been in business for 21 years. Interviewing the two partners at DCA Architects in Rotorua, my ear is on the hunt for something which sets them apart from their peers. Darryl Church, founded the business in his garage in Rotorua after a bit of nagging from his wife 21 years ago. In 2016, Werner Naude, a South African with a German forename, a French surname and a refined brain, joined Darryl as partner. The pair have great professional chemistry. They look at each other and listen carefully when the other speaks. Early in the interview, Darryl said "I have practiced as an architect on my own as well as in a group. And there is no doubt that having more minds on a job means you come up with a better solution for the client. Especially if you've selected those minds carefully from the outset."

And that's what sets DCA apart from their peers. They are expert problem solvers. And that enables them to outperform a brief given to them by a client. 

Darryl explains, "We have six core values. These values were crystallised when we thought about the way we work. By analysing our most successful projects, a pattern emerged. We now use those core values to guide our employment choices, the way we work, and also drive success for our clients."

They are: Open ears and open minds. Design is in our DNA. Lifelong learners. Quality relationships. We see things differently. Design for the future.

I ask for some examples of how their core values appear in their work. Werner gestures to the wall behind us which is covered in technically brilliant photography, a visual CV of recent work. There are some immediately recognisable buildings in the Bay: Green Park School in Greerton, new apartments on Pilot Bay, Golden Sands Primary School, the Toi Ohomai Institute in Rotorua. And some beautiful, luminescent cylinders of light in amongst trees. The toilets in the Redwoods, Rotorua. It's not often you are able to comment favourably on public loos. But it's worth drinking plenty of water as you walk through the woods so that you have good reason to check them out.

REDWOODS TOILETS, ROTORUA

Darryl: Our client - Rotorua Lakes Council - was willing to take a design journey with us and rise above the mundane. It would have been far easier to build another concrete block of toilets. But as we went through the process, we realised we would have an even better outcome if we collaborated with an artist. Our client was receptive to the idea. Collaborating with the screen artist, Kereama Taepa, brought a special narrative to the project which captures the spirit of The Redwoods forest with the designs laser cut onto the corten steel cylinders. The toilets are now a contemporary piece of art, sensitive to their environment and the people of Rotorua. 

TOI OHOMAI CENTRE OF NURSING, HEALTH AND SCIENCE, ROTORUA

Werner: Part of our brief for this project included a 200 seat, tiered lecture theatre and auditorium. During a full review of their facilities, we saw there were already two theatres like this, and they were underutilised. We knew they were having art exhibitions that year, and fashion shows which would need a catwalk. So, we suggested a flat floor lecture theatre space which had so much more flexibility, and could still be used as a lecture theatre. Similarly, we were briefed to provide six nursing wards for training purposes. Once we started researching, we realised that the health system is moving away from ward setups. We decided to pull back, not wanting to build something which would be outdated soon. We were able to buy back floor area to provide more space for socialising. Other than an old cafeteria, there was nowhere for students to stay on campus and hang out, socialise and study.