Warren and Mahoney boost Australia presence

31 May 2013

Warren and Mahoney boost Australia presence

New projects and new staff the catalyst for a permanent base in Sydney

Multi-disciplinary architecture and design firm Warren and Mahoney has established a permanent base in Australia with the opening of a Sydney studio and the appointments of two senior designers.

In 2011 the firm won a significant strategy and design project for National Australia Bank, and is now involved in delivering projects for the bank across Australia.

Managing Director Peter Marshall says the specialist area of customer experience strategy and retail transformation will continue to be a focus for Warren and Mahoney in Australia.

“We’ve developed international best-practice design thinking in the customer experience space. This has been further demonstrated recently with the winning of a design partnership commission with Tradelink, a major Australia-wide building materials brand, and another significant commission in Sydney,” says Marshall.

Marshall says the new studio has been several years in the planning, and will help the firm better serve institutional clients on both sides of the Tasman.

“Setting up a base in Australia is a natural evolution for Warren and Mahoney, and it’s something we’ve been working towards for some time. Over the past two years in particular we have completed a number of successful projects there, and developed a sound understanding of the market.

“We are increasingly working with large trans-Tasman institutional clients – banks for example – and engaging with Australian design collaborators for major New Zealand-based projects. The Sydney studio gives us a permanent on-the-ground presence and enables us to react more quickly to our clients’ needs.”

New recruits Chris Adams and Bianca Pohio – New Zealanders by birth - bring extensive knowledge of the Australian market and best-practice experience to Warren and Mahoney’s Australia team, which is led by retail design Principal Gareth Huston and Director John Coop.

Adams and Pohio previously owned their own architecture and interiors practice in Sydney, Pohio Adams Architects, having previously spent time working in architecture studios in New York, Australia, and New Zealand. Their work spans a number of disciplines ranging from residential development, private residences, high-end commercial fit outs, retail work and furniture design for clients in Australia and New Zealand.

Pohio Adams Architects won several New Zealand Institute of Architects awards for retail fit out projects delivered for fashion brands Kate Sylvester and Workshop, and received recognition at Australia’s Ideas Awards for private residences in Sydney’s Balmain and Darling Point.

The new Sydney studio is located in Surry Hills and will also serve the Queensland and Victorian markets.

Warren and Mahoney’s vision, says Marshall, is to be New Zealand’s leading design practice, offering trans-Tasman reach. The firm has successfully completed projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including in China, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

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