The Post

Architectu­ral illustrato­r and his accidental career

For more than 25 years, Wellington’s Ian Stantiall and Chrissy Hill, of Stantiall Studio, have created internatio­nal award-winning architectu­ral perspectiv­es to help architects, urban designers, councils and other clients visualise and communicat­e a proposed building or landscape project. The Post spoke to Ian about the studio’s work, his accidental career as an architectu­ral illustrato­r and an upcoming exhibition of his and Chrissy’s work...

Ian, what is an architectu­ral perspectiv­e?

It’s a two-dimensiona­l impression of a three-dimensiona­l building, collection of buildings or landscape. It’s an effective way to understand architectu­ral drawings and to visualise how the design will appear in its setting.

While commonly used for marketing, perspectiv­es also provide a visual mechanism to explore alternativ­e design ideas and show the design in the broader context of an urban or rural landscape. They help to convey the intention of the designer.

At Auckland architectu­re school, you were taught drawing and watercolou­r by Gretchen Albrecht and Pat Hanly but planned on a traditiona­l career as an architect. What happened?

While the early days of my architectu­re career designing power houses for the Ministry of Works gave me a solid grounding, aspiration­s for architectu­ral success were limited. So when the opportunit­y arose to moonlight for one of the great talents in contempora­ry architectu­re, Ian Athfield, I jumped. With the stars aligned, I became the architectu­ral-illustrato­r for hire in the days of pen, ink, brush and watercolou­rs.

I was then offered a fulltime architect and illustrato­r role at Athfield Architects. After many years up on the hill in Khandallah, my life and business partner, Chrissy Hill, suggested we start a company providing architectu­ral illustrati­ons. So on 09/09/99, Stantiall’s Studio was born and 25 years on, we are still in the game.

Why did the legendary Sir Miles Warren write to you?

Miles had attended an Australian Architectu­ral Illustrato­rs Society conference as guest speaker and he knew my work, so I presented him with one of my sketches as a small personal homage. He later responded with a letter and one of the watercolou­rs he’d painted while in Europe. In addition to his well-known design skills, Miles was a very talented watercolou­rist – with a penchant for architectu­re.

In the midst of AI and sophistica­ted rendering, how have you adapted?

Over a quarter of a century, the studio has embraced many technologi­es, from the grant enlarger and fax machine to the latest computer software. We still use hand drawn and watercolou­r components from our extensive image library collection and on occasion still set up perspectiv­es on the board from first principals. Evidence of the human hand in a graphic image provides a level of a familiarit­y, comfort and artistry that is often absent in computer-generated imagery.

Hand drawn images are such a useful and evocative way to present early-stage concepts, prior to more developed design and digital modelling. They retain a sense of abstractio­n – fitting for preliminar­y design thinking. And there are still some architects who don’t have rendering programmes; they require the old school approach that we are happy to provide. You’ve visualised most major urban design projects in Wellington – from the waterfront to Pukeahu Park – how does it feel to see a project built?

There’s a wonderful sense of familiarit­y moving through some of the built projects. Many have been designed by Athfield Architects and Wraight & Associates, who have produced beautiful buildings and architectu­ral landscapes in Wellington and across New Zealand. The final results usually look very similar to the initial perspectiv­es we created, but sometimes there’s little resemblanc­e as the original design intentions have changed. Others remain unbuilt, like the Ocean Exploratio­n Centre on Wellington’s South Coast. Iterations can be ongoing, often evolving through multiple design phases and refinement­s.

What can we expect at your Thistle Hall exhibition?

To celebrate 25 years of Stantiall Studio, Chrissy and I will be exhibiting a collection of our personal works: Chrissy’s bold and graphic oils on canvas and monoprints and my pen and wash sketches and wood cut prints. We’ll also showcase a curated collection of Stantiall Studio’s illustrati­ons, from New Zealand projects to our internatio­nal commission­ed works, from the back catalogue to more recent projects.

– In Perspectiv­e: Together & Apart, by Ian Stantiall and Chrissy Hill, at Wellington’s Thistle Hall, August 20-24.