Known for their humanist architecture, created with an innate sensitivity as to how people live, experience and move in the world, architects Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson are the first to receive the award jointly since The Group received it in 2001.

“For 20 years, Stevens and Lawson have worked at the leading edge of their profession, bringing a restless curiosity and finely honed aesthetic instinct to all that they do,” noted the 2022 Gold Medal Committee, composed of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Immediate Past President Judi Keith-Brown, Julie Stout, Belinda Tuohy, Dr Deidre Brown and Paul Clarke. “All of their projects, the institutions as well as the residences, have a quality of ‘home’ about them, of comfort as well as beauty, of places to be welcomed and to belong. These buildings sit gently and timelessly in their landscapes, as if they were always meant to be there, and always will be.”

“In architecture, you’re immersed in what you’re doing at any given time,” says Nicholas Stevens of the award. “You’re thinking a lot about the future – new jobs, how to get them, what to do with them. The beauty of this award is looking back and reflecting on a whole body of work with a kind of golden glow on it, which is immensely satisfying. It’s a wonderful thing just to take stock and think ‘yeah, we did okay’.”

Te Kāhui Whaihanga President, Judith Taylor, says, “The Gold Medal honours those architects who consistently achieve the highest standards for – and with – their clients. Nicholas and Gary are a great example of this, and have made an outstanding contribution to the practice of architecture over the past 20 years.”

Stevens and Lawson joined forces in 2002 and since then have completed 80 bespoke houses and 20-odd multi-residential projects, including a papakāinga development with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. So far the Institute has recognised Stevens Lawson Architects with 25 national and 24 regional awards, as well as the New Zealand Architecture Medal, the Supreme Award and the 2022 John Scott Award for Public Architecture. They were awarded a category win and highly commended at the 2022 World Architecture Festival.

Perhaps one of their best-known projects is HomeGround, the supportive housing project for Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai. The Gold Medal judges cited it as “a model of care-informed architecture. It’s also a model of technical innovation: the tallest structural timber building in Aotearoa, and the product of meticulously considered sustainability principles.”

Stevens and Lawson accepted the Gold Medal at an event at Te Puna (the cafe space they designed with architect Jack McKinney) at Auckland Zoo on Wednesday 22 February.

About Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson:

Nicholas Stevens, born in Morrinsville, was drawing and designing buildings from a young age. Studying at the University of Auckland, he designed two studio projects for the Museum of New Zealand that later became Te Papa. These experiences expanded his horizons for cultural productions. After two years in Europe working in architectural practices, Stevens returned home to complete his degree, gained a few more years of work experience and went on to found his practice Nicholas Stevens Architects, which he led for 10 years. In 2002, Stevens Lawson Architects was born.

Gary Lawson was born in Dunedin and grew up in Timaru, later moving to Auckland. His grandfather and uncle were both builders and Gary was part of the first-ever intake of Unitec’s architecture school. He entered his university project into the Cavalier Bremworth Design Awards and won the Student category. Lawson worked part-time during his studies at Andrew Patterson’s studio and then full-time after graduating. When he sent his CV to Nicholas Stevens in 2002, their partnership began.

Watch their NZIA 2022 Gold Medal video below: