Remembering Pip Cheshire

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Pip Cheshire CNZM – founding director of Jasmax, a provocateur and giant within Aotearoa New Zealand architecture. Over more than four decades, Pip’s work shaped cities and raised the bar for architectural practice across the country.

Pip Cheshire (image: David St George, courtesy of NZIA)

Front row, L-R: Jeff Wells, David Gibbs; back row, L-R: John Austin, Richard Harris, Colin Bennett, Pete Bossley, Jim Dawson, John Sutherland, Pip Cheshire, Ivan Mercep

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In 1984, he co-founded Bossley Cheshire with Pete Bossley, and five years later merged with JASMaD and Gibbs Harris to create Jasmax, where Pip served as a founding director until 1999, and as managing director from 1999 to 2003. He played a key role in securing the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa – a defining feature of the Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington waterfront – alongside fellow directors Pete Bossley, Ivan Mercep and Dave Mitchell. His leadership helped shape our practice into the firm it is today.

After leaving Jasmax, Pip continued to challenge and contribute to New Zealand architecture through Cheshire Architects, a practice he built with his son Nat. Our thoughts are with Pip’s family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him.

Read the NZIA’s tribute to Pip Cheshire.