Who We Are

Established in Wellington in 2000, Bonnifait+Associates Architects was founded on a plurality of thoughts and languages as a way of working. Our architects bring diverse architectural experiences from different parts of the world, combining professional practice with research and bringing different cultural perspectives, knowledge and ways of thinking into the design process.

Our approach is oriented towards reconnecting people with physical reality — a territory, its history and its cultural context. Over more than 25 years of practice, we have developed a portfolio across New Zealand, from bespoke residential and boutique commercial architecture to light industrial development, regenerative tourism and eco-farm projects.

Our team brings together people from different cultural backgrounds, with diverse architectural experiences and fields of knowledge. This plurality is an important part of our practice, allowing us to look at each project from different perspectives, question assumptions and explore possibilities beyond the obvious.Our work draws on research, but is firmly rooted in the realities of architectural practice. Ideas are developed through drawing, discussion and investigation, then tested against the practical conditions of site, climate, materials, construction, budget and use. We are interested in the point where observation becomes a creative process, and where ideas become architecture.

Our Approach

At the heart of our architectural practice is a belief that architecture should emerge from a close understanding of its context — its history, culture, environment and the people who inhabit it. Whether developing highly detailed, crafted spaces or practical and cost-effective solutions, we seek responses that are both specific to their place and capable of enduring..

Our approach begins with respect for what already exists. This may mean reusing materials, adapting buildings, recycling components or protecting what is valuable in the built and natural environment. At other times, starting anew is the right choice. Each project is an opportunity to engage with the land, its ecology and its history, uncovering the layers that can inform and enrich the design.

This process is collaborative. We listen to the land, to the people who know it and to the clients who entrust us with their projects. Ideas are explored, tested and refined through drawing, discussion and making, balancing tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and pragmatism, ambition and the realities of construction.

Sustainability is integral to this process. We consider the resources already present, the environmental consequences of our decisions and the capacity of buildings to adapt and endure. At the same time, we believe that responsible architecture must be economically viable and achievable. Our experience in architecture, urban design, masterplanning and spatial anthropology gives us different ways of reading a place and understanding how people inhabit it. Combined with the diverse cultural and professional backgrounds within the practice, this allows us to approach both urban and rural environments with curiosity and a critical distance.

Ultimately, we are creating architecture that belongs to its place, responds to its people and remains open to the future. Each project develops its own expression through the dialogue between what is already there, what is possible and what needs to be made.