Megan Edwards Architects

is an award winning practice focusing on residential architecture.

Megan Edwards began the practice in 1994 and has for the last 8 years worked with architect Allan Eng and designer Jacqueline Bell, to form a practice which is characterised by friendly responsive service and commitment to creating beautifully conceived and resolved buildings.

People

Central to each project and our practice is our relationship with our clients - we enjoy responding to their needs and passions.

We work closely with the carpenters, engineers, cabinetmakers, artisans, and suppliers who collectively make our buildings.

We seek to make our design process collaborative, drawing upon the creativity and experience of all those involved.

Place and process

We aim to imbue our projects with a strong sense of place - identifying what is distinctive about a site and/or context and developing an architecture that engages with these qualities.

During the design process we aim to find an idea or theme, which captures the core elements of the project.

We enjoy creating interior and exterior spaces which allow people to savour the ordinary activities of life and varying times of the day.

Detail

Our interest in design extends to the detail. Projects often include the design of cabinetry, furniture, lighting and gardens.

Materials and technology

We enjoy well made things and look for crafts people with whom we can collaborate to create buildings of lasting quality. We are interested in new technologies, prefabrication and digital tools that allow us to design buildings that are more efficient and cost effective, both in their construction and over their operating life. Taking a long term view, we give consideration to the probability that our buildings will have a long life, and will need to be adaptable and allow for change. Passive design principles are applied to ensure our buildings are energy efficient. We have a strong track record in the redevelopment of older homes, capitalising upon their strengths whilst addressing their limitations.

Our work

Our work to date has comprised of new houses and renovations. Renovations have tended to fall into two categories - large old houses that usually result in an integrated aesthetic, and more modest bungalows and villas where a clear distinction is often made between the old and the new.

We are interested in finding ways to bring good architecture to more people. We are conscious of the fact that we live in a city with a housing shortage and that a significant proportion on its population live in dwellings of a poor standard. We are developing our practice to allow us to actively explore alternative forms of housing: co-housing, inter-generational housing, mixed use buildings and community housing development.

Awards and Publications

The work of Megan Edwards Architects has received New Zealand Architecture Awards from the NZIA, and has featured in several books about New Zealand Architecture, as well as in various local design magazines.

Books
Villa, from Heritage to Contemporary Patrick Reynolds, Jeremy Salmond, Jeremy Hansen Mount Eden Villa – 2009
Big House, Small House, New Homes by New Zealand Architects John Walsh & Patrick Reynolds Maidment McVinnie House – 2012
Bungalow, from Heritage to Contemporary Nicole Stock & Patrick Reynolds Point Chevalier Bungalow – 2014
City House Country House, Contemporary New Zealand Homes John Walsh & Patrick Reynolds Tawini House – 2016
Awards
NZIA Auckland Architecture Award, Housing - Alterations and Additions Point Chevalier Bungalow – 2015
NZIA Auckland Architecture Award, Housing Tawini House – 2016
NZIA Auckland Architecture Award, Housing - Multi Unit Awarua Trio – 2023
NZIA Auckland Architecture Award, Housing - Small Projects Eden Terrace House – 2023

Our team

Megan Edwards – Director and Architect
Allan Eng – Architect
Jackie Bell – Designer
Sam Alexandre - Architect (UK)

Sam Alexandre BA (Hons), MArch, PG Dip, ARB, ANZIA

Sam completed his honours degree and masters at the Kent School of Architecture in Canterbury, England, receiving the KSA Artefact Award in 2015. Whilst studying, Sam was a student ambassador teaching undergraduate and school students, sharing his passion for design with the next generation. He subsequently obtained his Postgraduate Diploma at the University of Westminster, qualifying as an Architect with the UK’s Architects Registration Board in 2017.

Sam spent 5 years in West London working on bespoke residential and heritage projects with modest to high value budgets. He then immigrated to NZ joining the team in late 2020 and has since become an NZIA member.

He enjoys working with clients to strive for design that is sensitive to context and heritage, whilst being thoughtfully shaped by how they live. Along with his strong design acumen and enthusiasm for the technical aspects of construction and BIM, Sam brings his eye for detail and organisational skills to the team.

Jackie Bell B.A.S., B.A.

Jackie completed a Bachelor of Architectural Studies Degree in 2010 receiving the Senior Prize in Architecture. She joined the practice as she was completing her degree and assists in all aspects of the architectural process.

Jackie is fully committed to achieving the best possible design outcome for our clients. To that end she works collaboratively with our team and with clients, bringing strong communication, organisational and design skills.

Megan Edwards B.Arch. (hons), ANZIA

Megan was awarded the prize for most distinguished student from the University of Auckland when graduating in 1988. After working for 7 years in practices in London and Auckland and registering in both UK and NZ, she set up her own residential practice in Auckland in 1994.

Megan has a strong sense of empathy for people and place, which helps her to design buildings that are well suited to their contexts.

She is particularly interested in how buildings both open up to and allow refuge from their sites. She enjoys creating beautiful interior spaces, which allow for containment and conviviality, alongside well considered spaces between the interior and exterior.

Megan has been an external examiner at the University of Auckland and has served on the jury of local and national awards for the NZIA. In 2016 she presented her work around New Zealand, as part of a Design Series tour organised by the NZIA.

Allan Eng B.A.S., B.Arch.(hons), NZRAB

Allan graduated with an honours degree in architecture from the University of Auckland in 1998 and became a registered Architect in 2002. Since then he has had a wide range of professional experience, including working on large scale commercial and institutional projects. It is housing that he most enjoys, as this gives the opportunity to work directly with the building’s end users.

He strives to create an architecture that is deliberate and thoughtful. He is a critical thinker with a broad range of interests outside of architecture: art, music, politics, technology, the natural environment, and these interests enrich and inform his work.

Allan is very interested in how buildings are made. His understanding of construction and respect for and dialogue with the craftspeople he works with ensures that the buildings he designs are practical, durable and efficient to build.

Allan is a keen cyclist with a lifelong fascination with bicycles. He seeks to create buildings that are like bicycles: simple, efficient, elegant and fun.

Site by Benek.
Photography by Patrick Reynolds, Sam Hartnett, Emma Bass.