Creating Space for the Future 
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Heading inside the ArchWest architectural studio of Darni O'Connor and Shannon Lenihan feels more like entering an office in New York than Whanganui - with its open concept, sense of spaciousness, and giant windows which look out onto the treetops along Victoria Avenue. 
​Hearing the origin story of the ArchWest partnership you could be forgiven for thinking everything simply fell into place: from O’Connor and Lenihan hitting it off so well that they decided to jump into business together earlier this year (only the second time they had ever met), to finding this incredible office space by chance when O'Connor was visiting a sale by the outgoing tenant - prominent local artist Fleur Wickes.  Even the way the two women complement one another in their skill sets and personalities seems a kind of rare and extraordinary luck.   Much like any groundbreaking piece of art or architecture - the ArchWest partnership appears effortless, like it makes perfect sense that it would be happening here and now.  But of course there’s much more to the story - the ‘final product’ the result of years of study, hard work, professional development and challenges, and both O’Connor and Lenihan having young families, working in an industry which is still very male-driven. 

ArchWest’s directors are warm and thoughtful people, clearly extremely motivated, and apparently unintimidated by the path they’re forging.  “There’s a hole in the market for a softer approach,” says Lenihan.  “We’re creating the space we want to see. We’re going to be the more vibrant, fun, down-to-earth studio: collaborative and community-focused.”   These are not just aspirational, ‘print them and put them on the wall’ company values.  It’s obvious that relationships are at the heart of ArchWest.  When I ask O’Connor her favourite thing about her job, she replies without hesitation: “Shannon,” adding “I love working with the community.” As for Lenihan, she says “I’ve always been interested in relationships, and that goes from the people - the clients, plumbers, and electricians right through to how materials meet each other. Hearing a client’s perspective: what’s important to them, and in those early stages of design trying to figure out, first of all, if what they’re saying is what they actually want or need.”  She likens those initial conversations between client and architect to ‘going to the hairdresser,’ which is a useful analogy for me, having never employed an architect but being a client of The Studio by Sam Su’a (a fellow resident of Mainstreet Whanganui).  I think about the careful consideration with which Su’a explained to me how, while it was possible to achieve the dream ‘cream soda’ hair colour I presented him a picture of, it would require a lot of time, a fair amount of money and potentially a bit of hair damage.  His honesty and willingness to communicate (as well as his incredible hairdressing skills) are why I’ll always go back to his studio.  “I love trying to work out that invisible equation, building that trust and that relationship,” adds Lenihan.  She explains how they use rendering software to take clients on a virtual tour of their future homes, “so they can get an understanding of the way the light hits the kitchen bench or how it hits the couch and you can still watch TV at dusk and not have the glare. I  think that really helps the relationship side of things.”  O’Connor adds, “It’s our job to care about those details. Asking the right questions of the client. We’re thinking about things more deeply and holistically.”  There is a marked lack of ego in their approach which, unlike many architects, seems less about making a stamp or being applauded, and more about how a person would actually use the space being designed with and for them.
 
Neither O’Connor, Lenihan, nor myself were born in Whanganui, but we rave together at length about the city.  O’Connor immigrated from Holland as a child, when her parents “fell in love with all the green space,” while traveling through on holiday. “When I left Whanganui for university it was referred to as a ghost town.  Now it's thriving.  We’ve got the nice heritage buildings and we’ve got the cool arts scene, culture…”  “It’s got a vibe to it,” concurs Lenihan, who moved up from Wellington in January.  ”It’s a secret gem people don’t really know about. The charm of Whanganui is the old buildings, the hanging flower pots. I remember driving over the bridge coming into the main street. It was spring and all the flowers were out and I thought - this is so beautiful.”  O’Connor agrees that “there definitely needs to be some investment put into these old buildings and bringing them up to scratch, but then also you don’t have to spend millions of dollars.  At the end of the day I think Whanganui’s vitality will just grow - if all the designs are community-based, if we’re staying true to our rich history and our place within it, making sure we work with the community to design spaces that work for us now.”
 
Leaving the ArchWest studio, walking out onto Victoria Avenue I can’t help but see all the old buildings in a new way.  Just knowing that there are these brilliant people considering the history of the places, who also have the knowledge and the drive to give them new life, make Whanganui feel like a city not just full of the past, but filled with potential and promise for the future. 

Written By Abby Stewart
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