It has been an exhilarating journey, and our diverse, diligent team has made us proud every step of the way but, really, what we’d like to acknowledge is that we’d never have come this far without our incredible clients. From individual homeowners to commercial developers and government departments, they’ve all put their faith in our combined talents and helped us build a portfolio of projects that wins awards, both locally and internationally. More importantly, these are buildings that are knitted into the hearts and minds of people the length of the country.
We can genuinely say that sometimes business relationships morph into personal friendships and at other times, it’s the opposite way around. We’re proud of the fact that we have so many long-term, returning clients. Indeed, a few of them have been with us from the get-go.
In this newsletter, we’d like to thank some of those who took a punt on a little studio with big ambitions and have continued to feed us projects over decades. One example is Warren Ladbrook who met co-founder Richard Naish when they were both in their final year at architecture school - and flatted with him in London. When Warren moved to Hawke’s Bay, he was instrumental in bringing significant commissions from the region to RTA. That was the driving force behind opening an office there.
Then there is Daniel Friedlander of Samson Corporation, who rented our fledgling studio their first office in Ponsonby and gave us a chance by taking on a reasonably young practice for some of their projects. Daniel and the team appreciate that good design attracts good tenants; Samson Corporation were one of the first local developers to understand the concept of creating a community within a commercial context, as they did in Ironbank on Karangahape Road.
Finally, there are couples such as John and Deryn Barton who came to RTA Studio through family connections – and stayed for decades. They’re salt-of-the-earth sorts whom Rich met in the company’s first year of business. These are the type of clients that make architecture so satisfying and rewarding, people who have stuck with the practice through boom times and leaner years.
So, here’s a little taster of that hand-in-hand history to explore while you’re kicking back for the summer break. We’ll be raising a glass to this shared milestone and leaning into the next 25 years.
Ngā mihi o te wā