Rewi thompson biography

Rewi Thompson was.
Rewi Michael Robert Thompson, architect and adjunct professor of architecture, was born in 1953 to Bobby and Mei Thompson.
Rewi Michael Robert Thompson was an influential New Zealand architect who introduced generations of students to Māori design principles as adjunct professor at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning.

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Go slow, go fast.

You’ve probably been stopped in your tracks by Rewi Thompson’s work — on Wellington’s waterfront, or in a residential street in Kohimarama, or at the Ōtara Town Centre — but never knew the genius behind the design. Fittingly, Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere by Jeremy Hansen and Jade Kake is a biography like no other. Thompson did not leave a great body of built or written work before his death in 2016 at the age of 63, yet he is widely regarded as a visionary designer by his clients, students and New Zealand’s architects. By interviewing 35 of these close associates, researching a large archive of the architect’s drawings and notebooks, and asking other authors for creative responses, Hansen and Kake present a fascinating account of Thompson’s unique design methods that were based on his deep understanding of people and the whenua.

The authors also shed light on what happened to Thompson’s career after a rapid upward trajectory in the 1980s seemed to tail off in the 90s. Personal loss, the lasting effects of the 1987 stock-market crash and illness all but closed t

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Rewi

The power of architecture to express te ao Māori and transform

Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere is a tribute to the late architect Rewi Thompson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa), a visionary thinker who believed that great architecture is crafted through careful consideration of people and place. This book brings together a breathtaking range of his projects, from conceptual dreamscapes to one-of-a-kind homes.

It is written by one of the rising stars of architecture and a well-known commentator on urban issues, and includes interviews with those who worked with him.

Look inside here.

‘The book bubbles with Thompson’s energy, optimism and wit. It’s a dazzling resource, ready for the next generation to pick up the mantle.’ — Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian

‘Likely the most beautifully, sumptuously designed book of the year, a publishing masterpiece’ — Steve Braunias, Newsroom

‘Visually stunning’ — Michelle Rahurahu, RNZ

‘A fascinating portrait of a creative designer who was deeply sensitive to the human experience’ — Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, principal/owner and founder,

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Rewi Thompson

Rewi Michael Robert Thompson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa; 19 January 1954 – October 2016) was an influential New Zealandarchitect who introduced generations of students to Māori design principles as adjunct professor at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning.

"While working as an adjunct professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Auckland," writes Jeremy Hansen, "he was at the vanguard of a cultural shift, his studio classes giving a generation of Māori, Pasifika, Pākehā and Tauiwi students the confidence to engage with Māori design principles in their work."^[1]

Early life and education

Rewi Thompson was born in Wellington to Bobby, a bus driver, and Mei Thompson. His family had links to Tolaga Bay. Rewi trained as a civil and structural engineer at Wellington Polytechnic, where he gained a New Zealand Certificate of Engineering, and joined the Structon Group as a structural draughtsperson. After he was encouraged to study architecture by architects who worked there he entered architecture school