Category / Lifelong Learner / Team

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  • A Foundation Built On Lego

    With a childhood engulfed in creating masterpieces from lego and a Dad as an architect, it was clear from the start that Nick Chibnall-West had the makings to offer something special to our built environment in the future. We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Nick to company director, alongside founder Darryl Church as…

  • TEMC 2022

    In September our Managing Director, Darryl Church, attended the TEMC (Tertiary Education Management Conference) in Hobart. It was a great opportunity to attend many insightful workshops and presentations throughout the week. “Hearing about the advances in education, research and facilities design is essential for us to assist our own clients achieve education environments on the…

  • Quick, call the doctor…

    No, not that kind of doctor. Our Hawkes Bay Regional Manager, Marie Fleming, has a long-standing involvement with sustainable practices in architecture and construction: During her study at Massey University she completed her PhD, with the thesis being that of sustainability, health and productivity in the work environment. So really, we should be calling her…

  • What is BIM?

    B.I.M. is a term common to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries – it stands for Building Information Modelling. Primary benefits of BIM technology for clients include: Clash detections and co-ordination for less documentation errors (saving time and money). Accurate schedules for pricing. Smoother project management and implementation for contractors. DCA have been early adopters…

  • Post-Covid opportunities

    Post-pandemic – opportunities for the future of design: DCA’s founder and Managing Director, Darryl Church, was recently invited to give a presentation at the architectural industries ‘Design Experience Series’ events in Hamilton and Tauranga. It’s an honour to be an invited speaker alongside other leading Kiwi architects and some of the biggest names in architecture…

  • Global Perspective

    The DCA Team’s diversity now has representation with professionals (Ella and Paulo) who did their initial training in China and Brazil respectively. Ella qualified with a Bachelor of Interior Studies degree from Hebei University of Technology in the People’s Republic of China in 2004. Upon immigrating to NZ, Ella achieved a Bachelor of Architectural Studies-Architectural…

  • A first for New Zealand

    Upholding one of DCA’s core values of being lifelong learners, Principal Partner, Werner Naudé, has successfully completed his studies to earn the title as New Zealand’s only Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP). Facilitated by the Association for Learning Environments, the intent of the ALEP credential is as a professional designation of the Association, to signify…

  • LIFELONG LEARNERS

    It’s one of our six core values.  At the end of May, Werner Naude, Nick Chibnall-West and Nandia Lines made the trip over to Perth for the annual Learning Environments Australasia conference.  This annual conference exposes us to some of the world’s leading educationalists, architects and researchers. The panel of world-leading speakers enriched us with…

  • NICK CHIBNALL-WEST, DCA ASSOCIATE

    DCA are excited to announce that Nick Chibnall-West has recently joined the management team as an Associate.  Joining DCA in 2015, Nick has been involved in a wide variety of projects varying in size and typology, with strong experience in the education and commercial sectors.  The promotion recognises Nick as a people person, who cares…

    Papamoa Primary School

    After two years of design and construction, Papamoa Primary School’s new six classroom learning block has just been completed.  At DCA we go above and beyond to ensure we deliver transformative results for our clients.  We believe in listening first and doing second. DCA did this by undertaking a series of in-depth workshops with teachers, students…