Background and Approach
Formed in 2005 and based in Wellington, New Zealand, Melling Architects is a design focused practice benefiting from hands on experience with building that informs our design approach, material selection, detailing and methods.
Our approach to design is one of simplicity. The simpler we can make a design, the better it can be.
We are focused on efficiency and reducing waste – for us this means good planning and clever design.
We prefer materials to speak for themselves and favour substance over surface.
We like our designs to have a story behind them or a ‘narrative’ that connects to New Zealand’s geographic and cultural context.
Each project is unique and requires a unique response.
From left to right: Sandra Wasef, David Melling, Mat Lee, Jessica Ringrose, Dilsad Hollins, Anton Aliashkevich, Riley Adams-Winch, Kasun Perera
Our Team
We have a talented, energetic, well-traveled team:
David Melling – Director, NZRAB & UKARB Registered Architect,
After graduating from Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) in 1993 with a Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), David worked for architecture practices in San Francisco and in London. He became a UK registered architect in 2002 having gained a Part 3 Diploma from The Bartlett School of Architecture in London. In 2005 David returned to Wellington with his wife Angela and setup Architecture Central, becoming Melling Architects in 2012. David is a member of both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the New Zealand Institute of Architects.
Mat Lee – NZRAB Registered Architect
Having graduated from a Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) at VUW in 2006, Mat went on to complete an academic Masters in Architecture in 2011, investigating how food trade infrastructure affects urban form. Mat joined Melling Architects in 2012 having previously worked in several Wellington architectural offices. Mat also tutors design at VUW, is a busy father of two young kids and loves the outdoors.
Jessica Ringrose – NZRAB Registered Architect
After gaining a Masters in Architecture from the University of Kent and working in architectural practice in the UK, Jess returned to New Zealand in 2015. She tutored at VUW before becoming a building consents officer at Wellington City Council. She joined Melling Architects in early 2016 and became an NZRAB registered architect in 2018.
Riley Adams-Winch – Architectural Graduate
Riley completed his BAS and MArch (Profs) at VUW where he was involved in student representation, tutoring and event organization. He also interned at Gensler in San Francisco. After working for a time with Foster+Melville Architects in Wellington, he joined Melling Architects at the end of 2020.
Anton Aliashkevich – Architectural Graduate
Anton was born in Belarus and lived in Germany before relocating to New Zealand with his family in 2006. He graduated with a BAS and MArch (Profs) at VUW in 2020 having completed a thesis exploring the idea of re-thinking Moscow's urban housing typology through community contact. He joined Melling Architects in early 2021. In his spare time, he enjoys an active lifestyle and shares with us his interests in gardening, DJing, and building pallet wood offcut storage chests out of pallet wood.
Gerald Melling
Founding Architect
Gerald Melling needs no introduction to those who have an interest in New Zealand architecture. Since arriving in NZ from the UK in 1971 Gerald became an authority on architecture in this country and developed an approach and attitude to his work that resulted in an ability to realize projects that were conceptually challenging, cost effective, met the needs of their clients and were uniquely NZ in character. Gerald sadly passed away at the end of 2012 but his philosophy and spirit endure in the work of Melling Architects.