Most people don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, but Ken Collins always did. “I remember wanting to be an architect when I was 8,” says Ken. “So by the time I got to university, I figured it was about time I started practicing.”

“I was fascinated by buildings, castles, and spent a lot of time rooting around dad’s laboratory growing up,” Ken explains, of where this innate interest started. From there came the pursuit of architecture at university where he met a lifelong friend turned business partner, Ron Pynenburg. The two started Pynenburg & Collins in the summer of 1981 – now 38 years, 5 office spaces, and countless late nights later, Ken is still dedicated to his craft, his clients, and to growing the people around him. 

“Mentoring has become one of the most important and rewarding things in my life,” says Ken. Ten years ago he joined TEC, The Executive Connection mentoring programme and has spent that time learning about management, training styles, emotional intelligence and about himself. “It’s been really important to me. Ron and I have always shared the same attitude: we knew what we wanted, and we simply went and did it. I want to help others find that, and to be what they want.”

From small to large-scale projects, Ken specialises in architectural design and project management in commercial, residential, retail and aged care sectors across Aotearoa. In 1999 he established Pynenburg & Collins’ sister company, Lab-works Architecture, specialising in the design and construction of scientific, education and research facilities. “I’m lucky to join my passion for science with my work and carve out a niche for us at the same time. Ron has too, with the backcountry huts,” he says. Ken’s time crawling around a lab as a kid has certainly come full circle. He now presents at international laboratory design conferences and is involved in laboratory standards reviews.

Even outside architecture, Ken’s wide-ranging interests also happen to reside at the intersection of art and science – from painting, to decades studying martial arts (he has several black belts, including an 8th degree in Kempo), and is always tinkering with home renovations. But ultimately Ken is most content immersed in creativity and enjoying the colourful home he designed and built within the Ngaio bush.

“It’s our welcoming sanctuary – light and airy but private. We’ve been there over 30 years and it’s grown with us,” says Ken. “We designed it so the kids would want to have their friends over: a play room downstairs, big sleep overs... and now they keep coming back. If I had to build it again I wouldn’t change much, it has brought a lot of joy.”

Ken brings a level of trust, respect, and open communication to everything he does, along with a knack for solving problems. He lives in Wellington, and works out of the Te Aro office. Come weekends and off-hours, Ken can be found spending time with his wife and daughters, practicing Baguazhang, or in a Monday arts class – one thing’s certain; you won’t find Ken standing still.

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