Chris Scott

One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading education design specialists, Principal and co-leader of the education practice group Chris Scott has been instrumental in developing innovative spaces that greatly enhance the learning experience for students and staff alike.

Over the past 12 years, Chris has been responsible for the design and delivery of major developments for three major New Zealand universities and has spoken on building trends in education and next-generation learning spaces at conferences in the Asia Pacific region. Past projects include the Sir Paul Reeves and Ngā Wai Hono buildings for AUT, and more recently, the 450-bed Te Rangi Hiroa College student accommodation building – the first new college designed for Otago University in 50 years.

Chris is focused on delivering outcomes proven by evidence to deliver long-term value to clients. His projects also demonstrate his commitment to sustainability and include some of New Zealand’s most energy efficient large scale education buildings. Working closely with AUT and the University of Auckland (UoA), Chris is currently leading AUT’s A1 project for the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences and UoA’s proposed 6-Star Green Star-rated B201 building for the Faculties of Arts, Education and Social Work.

These projects start with the adaptive reuse of 40-year-old buildings. Integrated with new engineered timber structures to increase and augment activities, each project effectively responds to net zero carbon targets and increases the life expectancy of the original for another 50 years. These projects provide a realistic, achievable roadmap toward a low-carbon future.

In 2022, Chris received the Excellence in Sustainability award from Property Council New Zealand. The judges agreed that crucial outcomes have been achieved in the built environment due to Chris’ leadership, innovation, collaboration, and commitment to championing sustainability initiatives.