The Team Green Story and Vision
Team Green Architects was established in 2013 by Sian Taylor and Mark Read, with the purpose of offering New Zealander's a better solution when it comes to designing buildings. Based in Queenstown, we’re lucky enough to be able to design buildings in some of the most beautiful locations you can imagine.
In ten years our dedicated team has grown, and is committed to creating, energy efficient and beautiful buildings.
Team Vision
Team is an important part of what makes Team Green Architects. When you chose to engage Team Green Architects, you become part of the Team. Your thoughts and ideas are a vital part of the process. In addition to the in house team, Team Green Architects have an external team of consultants, contractors and suppliers whose knowledge and experience is valued throughout the process. The sum of all these team members is helping us to reach our vision "to set a new standard and fundamentally change the way buildings are designed and constructed in New Zealand".
With Team Green we make sure every project makes a difference to the quality of your life and to the world around us.
Our promise from day one is to work closely with you to ensure your brief and your dreams are fully understood. We make sure we get to know what is really important to you. We will join you on your journey, and together enjoy creating something exceptional.
Our goal is to change expectations of how people live in New Zealand.
We also want to change expectations of how we as a country design and construct buildings, and set a new standard.
Siân Taylor
Siân (pronounced Shaan) became one of the first architects in NZ to become Passive House certified. This completely changed her approach to construction and architecture and fueled the passion that would become Team Green in 2012.
This passion for sustainability continued to grow and in 2019 Sian became a co-founder of the New Zealand Architects Declare movement to encourage architects to come together and declare a climate emergency and acknowledge the part that the built environment is playing.
Siân has worked as an architect in Queenstown since 2005 for both John Blair Architects, and Warren and Mahoney. Before that, she was a project architect for one of the UK’s largest firms. She also worked on the Sustainable Education team, which nourished her passion for sustainable buildings.
“After learning the principles for Passive House, I knew there was incredible opportunity to make a real difference to the way buildings are both conceived and constructed in New Zealand. Passive House principles could really affect the lives of many New Zealanders living in poor standard housing, and suffering as a consequence. To adopt even the smallest change could make a huge difference to the quality of people’s lives, and dramatically reduce energy usage of our country”
Siân Taylor
Mark Read
Mark's family first came to Arrowtown for the gold rush in 1864, before settling in all corners of the district. This connection to the land, has instilled a desire to create work that is to be proud of.
Mark has been an Architect in the Queenstown region since 2001. He originally worked for Queenstown’s first Architect John Blair where he learnt his craft and became the lead architect on many of John’s most extensive local houses, and winery projects. Mark set up his own practice Mark Read Architect in 2011. In 2013 he joined Siân to create Team Green Architects.
He is passionate about retaining the beauty of this incredible place, where he has spent the majority of his life, by creating architecture that reflects the local vernacular and is specific to both brief & place.
David Kohout
David is an Architectural Graduate, with a Master’s Degree from the Budapest University of Technology.
David’s design background includes residential, public and urban design projects in Hungary, The Netherlands and Austria, which complements his NZ practice.
Having moved to New Zealand in 2015, David is now a Resident, and has been part of the Team since 2017. He currently resides in and works from Tairua, Coromandel where he enjoys swimming, hiking and gardening. He is also a Permaculturist and a musician, and interested in martial arts and the Hawaiian culture.
