Renowned architect Michael O'Sullivan will deliver a lecture in Whanganui next month. Photo /Supplied
Renowned architect Michael O'Sullivan will deliver a lecture in Whanganui next month. Photo /Supplied
Whanganui people will have the chance to hear from a creative master next month.
Architect Michael O'Sullivan will be in the River City to deliver a lecture, one he says is not just for those who share his field.
"I'll be talking about all kinds of stuff, from boxing rings in South Auckland and Mongolian wrestling to projects in Austin, Texas, and worship spaces in Ireland.
"If people think it's going to just be about architecture they would probably say 'I would rather eat my own underpants'.
"The talk is about what the journey is, not just plans, sections, permits and dealing with builders. No one wants to hear about that."
O'Sullivan has twice won the Sir Ian Athfield Architecture Award for Housing, first for a studio (2015) and then for additions to a state house (2020). Both projects were in Lyttelton.
In 2011 he won Home of the Year for a bach at Karekare Beach.
His talk will also be delivered in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington as part of the Futuna Lecture Series, with funds raised from those events going towards the ongoing care, maintenance and operation of Futuna Chapel in Wellington.
The person responsible for bringing him to Whanganui is Elinor Harvey McDouall, secretary for the western branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA).
"You don't get what you don't ask for, and this one time it all worked out," she said.
"Our efforts have meant that this leader in design is able to come and share his stories with Whanganui's creatives and supporters of good design."
The Lyttelton studio Michael O'Sullivan designed and built won the Sir Ian Athfield Architecture Award for Housing in 2015. Photo / Martin Hunter
O'Sullivan left school aged 16 to begin a drafting certificate.
He founded Bull O'Sullivan (B/OS) Architecture in 1994 and holds a position at the University of Auckland supervising masters students' thesis work.
Now 52, he said his approach to his craft had "evolved in its own natural way".
"You'll be in a box under the ground soon so you have to try and attend as many different things as you can along the way."
The first time O'Sullivan came to Whanganui was to watch his son Finbar fight at the New Zealand Amateur Boxing Championships in April.
As luck would have it, Finbar will be competing at the tournament again while O'Sullivan is in town for the lecture.
"Last time we were here we went and had a swim in the river and it was f**king freezing," O'Sullivan said.
"A sheep's carcass came floating past upside down and I just thought to myself 'I love this town'."
He had been "consumed" by Whanganui's design while he was in town.
"There's the [Sarjeant] gallery of course, and the very ordered, English axial approach to the roads and lanes.
"A couple of young architects in Wellington, Patchwork Architects [Ben Mitchell-Anyon and Sally Ogle], have done a really cool piece there which I'm keen to check out as well.
"Some bloody good thinkers have come out of Whanganui that have contributed to the New Zealand architectural landscape over 150 years."
Harvey McDouall said it was great to have these kinds of events in Whanganui because they complemented its status as a Unesco City of Design.
