Conor Dolman Wellington Architecture Graduate
Role: Architecture Graduate
Region: Wellington
Manager: Nick Leko
Conor started a Bachelor of Architectural Studies in 2014 after a small stint ski instructing in Japan. At university, there was a constant push to design something outside of the of what you expected architecture to be and he would end up drawing for hours to explore as many possibilities as he could. This pursuit to find something different in design took him back to Japan in 2015 where he worked as an intern for architect Junya Ishigami over the summer break. Tokyo has some truly masterful buildings to offer and once again he found his fascination with architecture grow.
Conor began work for Leko Architects in January 2017 following the completion of his BAS where the large body of renovation work coming through the office offered a diverse set of projects and design briefs. Each building provided its own small history, character and unique set of conditions. Working with the detail and ornamentation for many of these buildings has enabled him to engage with the craft involved in the construction of older houses and Villas have become of particular interest to him. The scale of their spaces, high ceilings, bay windows and stained-glass capture and withhold a sense of time showing an important part of Wellington’s built heritage.
Both the miscellany and playfulness of the buildings in the Wellington region make working in this city exciting and each new project is anything but predictable. There were plenty of contemporary buildings around Queenstown where he grew up. Conor remembers finding their bold forms and materials of interest and still does, although, he now has an equal appreciation for historic buildings. The first experience he had of renovating was helping on site with the restoration of Queenstown’s ‘Hulbert house’ – a villa built in 1887.
The house, at its grand scale, had served generations of families, as a refuge shelter and was now being re-worked into a boutique hotel. The architect had been sensitive to the historical features of the building, proposing a new scheme that did minimal damage to the house’s facade. The outcome was a striking contemporary interior that retained many of the ornate details of the original house – this contrasted heavily with subtle, well-composed exterior of the villa.
