First Light Studio is an architectural practice, founded in 2012 by myself and 4 of my colleagues following our success in an international design competition called the Solar Decathlon. In the company I am one of two Registered Architects and have a wide range of experience across all aspects of the architectural process including:- Project Initiation and fee setting: Liaising with clients at the early stages of the design process to understand their design brief brief, establishing the parameters of the contractual relationship and preparing individual project proposals.- Pre Design: Initial site investigation, research & analysis, liaison with relevant consultants to assemble all the relevant information relating to the site including any easements and covenants, topographical information, geotechnical survey & identify any district plan requirements, - Sketch Plan, Developed Design: Working closely with the client to develop an innovative design solution that best meets the clients brief, budget and site including the preparation of 3D & 2D drawings and specifications necessary to communicate the design intent to the client and other relevant parties.- Detailed Design: Liaison with external consultants and review and evaluate against architectural design, prepare relevant drawings in sufficient detail to enable an application for building consent to be made, tendering and negotiation of building contract to be undertaken and construction work to commence- Tendering & Reporting: Preparing and issue tender documents to nominated tenderers to obtain a suitable contractor.- Contract Administration and Observation. Undertaking the building contract in an impartial and professional manner with emphasis on observation of compliance and quality outcomes as required in contract documents.I am currently taking a sabbatical break from the company to go back to my roots in the Netherlands to broaden my architectural experience.

During my studies and in my first years as a graduate I tutored a range of different courses at the university including design, construction & project management. Alongside this I also gave a number of lectures on sustainability & technology in architecture.Some of the papers that I tutored include:- Second year architecture tutor - Architectural design SARC 212- Third year design - Architectural design SARC 312- Second year construction - Construction SARC 221- Third year building science tutor - Practice management SARC 362

In 2009 myself and four of my colleagues were chosen as the first team from the Southern Hemisphere to compete in the 2011 Solar Decathlon. We were given 2 years and $100,000US from the US Department of Energy to design and build a compact, zero energy house that was to be displayed and operated during a 10 day period in Washington DC. The house was first constructed in a shed in Lyall Bay before it was transported to Frank Kitts park on the Wellington waterfront where it was opened up to the public and displayed for a month before it was disassembled, packed into a series of containers and shipped off to Washington DC for the competition where it placed third overall.As one of the 4 student leaders of the team I was apart of the core design team in charge of the building performance the engineering of the home. I lead a team of designers and building scientists to create a home that balanced design excellence with supreme energy performance. The project was the most challenging and rewarding experience of my career so far both architecturally and personally.My learnings over the course of the project become my masters thesis at VUW which I completed in early 2012.Highlights- Completing the first stage of the build in a shed in Wellington- Opening the house up to the public for display on the waterfront before it was packed up a shipped overseas- Assembling the house in Washington DC in only 7 days with a team of students- Placing 2nd overall in Architecture and 1st in engineering out of the 20 university lead teams- Achieving 'net zero energy' at the end of the competition- Placing third overall in the competition- Assembling the house in its final resting place on a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean in Waimarama in NZ

During my undergraduate degree at VUW I worked part time and in my holiday breaks for CGM + Foster Architects. During my time I was involved in a range of different projects including large scale commercial developments, tertiary education, boutique interior design & high-end residential. My role was predominately during the pre & concept design phases completing the 3D visualisation of projects for communication to clients.Highlights - 3D model & visualisation of Whitereia, Porirua- Concept design & visualisation on large scale residential development in Wellington- Working drawings and documentation for a bach in Riversdale