Mark Holmes took the plunge into the big blue 16 years ago and never looked back. “Scuba diving has always been about that feeling of exploration for me, seeing what’s down there,” says Mark. “I started diving back then, the same year I started at Pynenburg & Collins, and I still get out as much as I can.” 

Growing up and studying in the Wellington Region, Mark was captivated by the sea early on. He even considered becoming a marine biologist until technical drawing in college led him down the path to architecture. Joining Pynenburg & Collins as an Architectural Technician in 2003, Mark became an Associate in 2016.

As the office Drawing Manager, he leads Computer Aided Design (CAD) and BIM collaboration technologies, and often contributes to laboratory projects for PCA sister venture, Lab-works. Strong technical and detail skills mean he’s worked on some of the team’s most complex projects, co-ordinating across the consulting and construction teams.

“I’m more interested in learning about sea life, than I am harvesting it,” says Mark, explaining that he doesn’t eat seafood. “So the chance to work with Vic University was a meaningful project.” 

Nearly two decades of diving and drawing came full circle in 2008 when Mark helped create the new Coastal Ecology Laboratory at Victoria University of Wellington in Island Bay – a sustainably designed teaching and research facility with an exterior that looks as much at home along the rugged reef of the South Coast and Taputeranga Marine Reserve, as it does housing its offices and three laboratories.

Working on the external fabric of the building, Mark created the technical drawing and detailing of the facade, along with the internal labs. With a composition of different shapes and materials, the building appears smaller than its size, blending into the coastal landscape. Awarded the NZIA Wellington Architecture Award in 2009, a decade later, the 816 square metre building hosts up to 30 faculty staff and students supporting coastal ecology across New Zealand, and the Indo-Pacific and Southern Oceans.

“I like being onsite, seeing what I’ve spent time drawing come to life, seeing the building in use,” says Mark. “That’s what I really care about in a project – that [my client] is happy, that they feel comfortable, and that it’s an enjoyable process getting there. It could win awards, but if a space doesn’t make you feel at home, it doesn’t work.”

When it comes to his own home, Mark’s downstairs workshop beckons, complete with fish tanks and benchtops with a mix of projects underway. When he’s not out visiting the creatures of the Wellington coast, you can find him there, tinkering away. “It’s good fun. And I like that space because it’s a great place to spend time with the kids,” he says. Mark works out of the Wellington office and lives with his wife and three children in Porirua.

CONNECT WITH MARK

LEARN ABOUT WORKING WITH US