Herbst Architects

Lance & Nicola Herbst met whilst studying architecture at the University of Cape Town. After graduating they worked partly together and partly independently on projects in South Africa and immigrated to New Zealand in 1998 and established Herbst Architects in 2000. One of the couples first projects was their own bach, on Great Barrier Island, for which the received the New Zealand Institute of Architects Award in 2002. The Island is now home to eight of their houses - all off the grid - each designed to have minimal impact on the environment. For most of the past 15 years, Nicola and Lance have been been asking themselves this: what’s the best way to live in and feel connected to the New Zealand landscape and climate?