Directors Terry, Glenn and Murali recently caught up with Live Magazine to reflect on BOON's contribution to the Taranaki community over the past 50 years. Here's what they had to say, as printed in Live.
From Puke Ariki to New Plymouth’s clock tower, BOON has played a pivotal role in shaping the fabric of Taranaki. As the award-winning design team reflects on reaching 50 years, their journey is one that can be defined by a pursuit of quality, innovation, and enriching relationships.
The BOON story began in Brougham St, above what is now Chaos Cafe, in an office with large steel windows and a team of 12 professionals, one being Terry Boon. Following a number of successful projects, including the Govett Brewster Art Gallery, Terry’s knack for forming relationships and bringing in new work soon proved unsettling for the regimented processes of his colleagues.
“After a while they started moaning about me bringing in work because I was upsetting the planned program. So I gave them six month’s notice, and left.
“That’s when I spotted this old derelict building that we’re in now. It used to be a corner dairy. I would come in here after Central School and buy my Jaffas and chocolate fish.”
When the dairy owner passed away, leaving no will or heir to her business and home, Terry went on a pursuit to convince an in-charge solicitor to sell him the building.
“I approached him three or four times but he wouldn’t entertain it because he said he had an obligation to find an heir. So one day I saw him walk out of his office in the King’s Building and followed him all the way up Devon St. By the time we got out to Strandon he said ‘Oh well, make me an offer’. He got sick of me.”
Fifty years later, Terry continues to frequent the BOON office weekly. It looks a little different, having added a larger building to the back with high studs and an open plan layout to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and camaraderie. He enjoys keeping a keen eye on the projects that current directors Murali Bhaskar, Glenn Brebner, Kyle Arnold and their team of 23 have on the table.
There’s plenty of them, and the company’s history is rich in significant projects that have helped shape the everyday lives of those in Taranaki and further afield. It’s a testament to the community-minded values that were bedded into BOON at the beginning, and continue to sit at the core of the business, today.
Community Connection
Terry’s community tenure started in the late 1960s, when he served for nine years on the Bowl of Brooklands committee. He dove into that “boots and all”, because he believed in the project. He was involved in the extension of the stage, shifting of the roads around the back, regrading the terraces, removal of trees, and reducing “that lake”.
“The lake used to be huge, and I kept getting all the criticism with people saying I was ruining the Bowl of Brooklands. I had about three or four goes at reducing it. We’d go out in a dinghy with a rope and I’d say ‘Come on, bring it to here’, and they’d say, ‘No, no, we can’t do that’,” he laughs. “It’s about the right size now, I think. Enough for a nice little reflection off the water.”
The slow and steady progress the Bowl and Pukekura Park have undergone over the years has “made” New Plymouth, says Terry.
Projects such as Govett Brewster, the TSB Showplace, and the clock tower have also strengthened the city’s identity.
Many of those structures didn’t come to fruition without causing some sort of stir, particularly the clock tower, which was originally proposed to have a “leaning top”. The idea was a social stand towards saving heritage buildings around the city.
Public outcry resulted in the concept being filed away, and a more conservative design accepted. Terry still dreams of what might have been, had the design been accepted.
Director, Glen Brebner, says both Terry and his original business partner, Paul Goldsmith, always honoured the opportunity to contribute to community development, and it was something he and Murali are committed to continuing.
“We have built on the foundations they laid, and some of the younger generations we have coming through BOON have adopted that mindset as well, so long may it continue.”
The Early Days
The relationship between Boon and Goldsmith is a special one. It started with a “graduate wanted” ad Terry placed at the School of Architecture. Paul answered and came to New Plymouth to check the place out. Terry wowed him with his recent Govett Brewster project which was “outrageously good” for its time, along with his own house build. They bonded over surf lifesaving, and so it began.
“At the time Paul was not only a fantastic guy, but he was a brilliant draftsman and a great designer. He and I hit it off. We respected each other, we always thought about the same thing. Sometimes we’d even choose the same bloody colours for buildings,” Terry says of Paul, who remains a consultant with the firm.
Another key individual in the story is architect Alan Reed. According to both men, Reed was the “incredibly skilled technical mastermind” behind many projects presented by BOON (and others), including the quirky and environmentally-minded Ahu Ahu Villas.
The design of a New Zealand Embassy in Saudi Arabia is highlighted as one of the standout international projects by BOON. Terry was awarded the job based on key relationships he had, proof of performance, and a knowledge of the conditions in Saudi Arabia (which he learned through a friend and spoke with confidence about).
He moved to the Kingdom for 15 months to oversee the construction of the embassy.
“The phone call I received saying I had that job was a very memorable moment. I think my heart stopped briefly.”
Innovative Thinking
Director Glenn Brebner has been at the firm for half of its 50 years and feels lucky to be part of a business that has been so integral to a provincial city’s urban renewal story.
Having arrived in 2000, he says the Puke Ariki and foreshore developments had been causing much discussion among residents. He watched with interest as those projects became the catalyst for New Plymouth to turn around and face its greatest asset – the coastline.
“A key part of that puzzle was the Liardet St overpass onto the walkway. There was a lot of discussion around how that should be created. In the end a hill form was designed to make it feel more like part of the story and the environment, rather than a structure.”
The Devon Mall, designed by Terry, was also an interesting story that continues to drive conversation, says Glenn.
While many loved the mall, urban conditions and the social activity of people and their cars meant the mall became a barrier. It was Paul who lobbied to have it removed. Glenn believes those societal actions are changing again, and thinks a mall of some sort wouldn’t go amiss in downtown New Plymouth, today.
More recently, there are many projects Glenn has worked on that make him particularly proud. The TSB Stadium and Tūparikino Active Community Hub, Ngāti Te Whiti’s marae at the port, and being part of Te Whatu Ora’s Taranaki Base Hospital redevelopment project are all highlights. The design of Green School New Zealand also holds a special place with him.
“With that project we were asked to really look at innovations in terms of applying a very highly sustainable kind of method to that campus. It was successful and a catalyst to how we continue to approach projects through a sustainable lens.”
For Murali, Puke Ariki, New Plymouth’s bus depot, Owae Marae’s wharekai, a $50million super yacht, and the recent Ngāmotu House, are among his favourite local projects.
Being an architecture firm in a somewhat isolated regional city has never hindered BOON. Glenn says when he worked in Auckland, he worked on Auckland jobs, but working from New Plymouth has seen him develop projects all over Aotearoa.
“About half of our work is local, and the other half extends around the country.
“We’ve always been aware of our location and the divide between what metro urban centres can achieve with their metro budgets, and what provincial centres can achieve. Our mission has always been to close that gap, and if we can’t do it through budgets, we have to do it through innovation and stretching that dollar further.”
Murali agrees, crediting their ability to attract work from around New Zealand, to their provincial attitude and innovation.
The Rotorua Events Centre, Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre, Westland Recreation Centre and Invercargill’s Murihiku Marae have all been highlights of their innovative design of spaces for people nationwide.
“While budgets are typically lower than big city centres, aspirations are always just as high, so we have developed clever ways of maximising bang for buck here in New Plymouth. That has attracted work from other areas of New Zealand who typically have the same issues,” says Murali.
The company’s innovative thinking isn’t pigeon-holed to making the most out of budgets, however, with social and economic impact always front of mind.
One key project Glenn mentions is that of The Warehouse building in town, led by Paul, who protected the city from experiencing what could have been a disaster.
“We’ve all seen what can happen when something like that comes to town. It either goes on a main street and blanks out a whole section, creating a bit of a void, or, it heads out of town and pulls the energy away from the main centre.”
Paul’s idea to raise the store at the front, so the main street could run uninterrupted below, and have the main access at the back, was genius, says Glenn.
“It’s not necessarily the most exciting project for people, but it could have had a really terrible outcome for New Plymouth.”
Enriching relationships
Societal influence is a strong measure of success for BOON, particularly for Murali, whose time as an architect has significantly evolved from creating beautiful buildings, to developing spaces that elevate individual thinking and inspire authentic relationships.
“Over the years we’ve worked on more projects where a whole community would benefit and we’ve established strong relationships throughout the process. That’s a huge part of my personal happiness and something I try to bring back into the office.
“There’s a big difference in how success is measured now, when compared with the old way of profit margins and numbers alone.”
Over the past 20 years, he takes pride in the strong relationships BOON has cultivated around the motu and Taranaki te Mounga. He believes te ao Māori is the future of New Zealand, and he’s excited to be at the forefront of that change.
“As a company we are really committed to working with iwi of Taranaki and are honoured to be part of the change that we are seeing in Aotearoa, one that has more understanding and recognition of Māori world views and consideration in everything that we do. It is humbling to be part of that change.
“We are also supportive of bi-cultural practice, as well as approaching our mahi with a tiriti focus. Our commitment to that runs deep.”
Both Murali and Glenn are future-focused, ensuring technology, young talent and training are embraced and nurtured at BOON. Despite being around for 50 years, they believe they are still laying foundations for the future.
“We’re continually working on how we interact with the community, how we forge new relationships and maintain existing ones. It’s nice to know that we’ve been doing something right, and the fact the doors are open and we have a certain presence in the community makes me really excited for what the next 50 years may bring,” says Murali.
They say neither the past, nor the future, would be possible without passionate clients, consultants, and construction partners. Of those they have many, and extend their sincere gratitude to each and every one.
“None of the initiatives or developments we have been a part of would have occurred if not for those partnerships. We feel very fortunate and honoured to have dealt with such passionate, forward-thinking and positive individuals over the years,” says Glenn.