Carolyn Smith graduated from Auckland University, School of Architecture in 1987. Before establishing this practice with Hilary in 1996, she worked both in New Zealand and in the UK for several years, working on a variety of projects in the hospitality, retail and residential sectors.
Carolyn is a graduate of the 2005 NZ Architecture Masterclass run by the Architecture Foundation of Australia. Carolyn was a member of the jury for the New Zealand Institute of Architects 2003 Local Awards and convenor for the Levenes National Student Architecture Awards in 1996. Carolyn is a regular guest critic architect for senior student design programs at the Auckland Unitec Architecture School. She and Hilary were finalists for the 2014 Architecture + Women NZ Munro Diversity Award.
Carolyn has designed and built two new homes for her own family over the past ten years in Point Chevalier in Auckland. Both houses have been well-received, being published in Houses NZ magazine, Architecture Now, Architecture NZ magazine, Your Home & Garden magazine, featured on TVNZ’s Home-Front program, short-listed for Home of the Year Award and selected for Resene’s Habitat of the week web-site.
Carolyn has many interests including a deep love of music and painting. She studied towards a Bachelor of Music, majoring in composition, currently sings in an Acapella choir, and is interested in the spatial language of both music and architecture. Practicing yoga, pursuing the outdoors, and a love of camping and sailing all fuel and inform her interest in passive solar design and energy efficiency.