JTB Architects design spaces where New Zealanders can gather, connect, relax and be inspired.
Our future venues, guest spaces, and social hubs demand a specialised approach in how they are designed and built. We create leading architecture that reflects our aspirations for a better designed and more sustainable built environment.
We have built a reputation for designing interesting, sustainable, and well-built spaces. Our work can be characterised by strong, beautiful forms, that use materials with integrity.
We have a deep understanding across architecture, urban design, master planning and sustainability. This is complemented by specialised capabilities in interior design, building information management (BIM), and architectural visualisation.
We are focused on being mindful about how the buildings we create impact our environment and the world around us.
We are delivering some of the country’s most significant timber buildings, creating innovative solutions for business environments and industrial sites, designing vibrant and attractive neighbourhoods for diverse communities, and creating commercial and industrial spaces that will endure for generations to come.
We work across Aotearoa New Zealand with studios in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Wānaka.
Together let’s create architecture.
Black & White Coffee Cartel are New Zealand’s first micro-roasting coffee franchise and each store is tailored, by the franchisee, to provide a unique coffee shop experience delivering perfect coffee to the masses.
BLACK & WHITE COFFEE CARTEL
Location
Christchurch
Status
Completed
JTB Architects worked with Chris Meyer and other Black & White store owners to design and oversee the construction of several fit-outs throughout Christchurch.
In each instance we provided architectural services, including Council consenting processes, to deliver commercial kitchens and facilities, and create the backdrop for each owner to add their unique pieces of furniture and art.
The interior fitout for this popular Wellington café takes a practical approach to the constrained floor plate, and is a direct response to the site and existing building.
PICKLE & PIE
Located in a sunny sheltered area of Wellington’s CBD, the interiors open to outside dining space adjacent to a public pocket park, providing an active edge that draws customers in.
A light, open seating area is arranged along the northern edge, with entry from Lombard Lane. Presentation and food service counters run parallel to the seating area, with commercial kitchen behind.
Finishes are functional and durable with tiled service area walls and counter fronts, polished concrete floors, natural timber acoustic ceilings and open black steel shelving responding to the exposed steel frame of the building.
Furniture is natural timber and black steel, continuing the theme. Electric blue banquette seating at the western end of the seating area provides a contrasting highlight.
This redevelopment of an existing car yard and showroom in downtown Wellington created a new coffee bar and cafe for the Zumo coffee brand.
ZUMO COFFEE
The showroom was renovated to add a small commercial kitchen, a servery counter, toilets, seating and a suspended gas fireplace.
The car yard was transformed into a decked courtyard to take advantage of the sunny corner site. Covered seating and a fire pit provide a rare sheltered outdoor space well equipped to keep customers cosy during Wellingtons infamous southerlies.
The open nature of the raised cafe and courtyard space maintain a connection to the streetscape through perimeter planting. The low courtyard edge is defined by a continuous ribbon of coloured metal which ties back to the building signage. The dark band of coated alloy rises and folds over the
entryway and covered seating area. Branding perforates the vertical panels to produce striking graphics when illuminated at night.
The design overcomes issues of accessibility generated by the elevated existing floor level, and fire safety features were upgraded to address the change of use to a hospitality tenancy. JTB Architects coordinated separate consultants during the design phase and procured both resource consent and building consent.
Located in Blenheim, Marlborough Vintners Winery is a contract wine-making facility providing wine-making services which utilise cutting-edge technology with an emphasis on sustainable practices.
MARLBOROUGH VINTNERS WINERY
Completed December 2022, the new winery building comprises a cellar door providing space for eight to 10 vineyards, restaurant, brewery, tap room, laboratories, and offices along with private dining and conference facilities.
Use of natural materials and sustainable design principles were emphasised throughout the design, with low carbon, mass-timber used extensively throughout; prefabricated using Potius™ engineered roof, walls and flooring panels, and TimberLab LVL portals.
Temperature is regulated through thermal gain and underfloor heating of the concrete slab, and cross ventilation and overhangs for shading in hotter months. For the interior, Himalayan cedar panelling from timber felled on
the owner’s property, tables are from live-edge flitches of gum, and sheet boarding is painted with paint incorporating iron filings produce a rusted earth effect.
Outside, the landscaping references the surrounding land, with curves formed in corten steel referencing the braided rivers that ran through the area in the past.
Located in the heart of Blenheim, the Marlborough Experience Centre is a transformative adaptive reuse project that reimagines the former Clubs of Marlborough building as a showcase for regional produce and as a leading hospitality venue.
MARLBOROUGH EXPERIENCE CENTRE
The centre aims to celebrate Marlborough’s heritage, landscape, and primary industries through immersive architecture and curated visitor experiences.
The design narrative draws inspiration from the region’s geography and cultural history, beginning with the sweeping form of the front façadeechoing the shape of Te Koko-o-Kupe (Cloudy Bay). Inside, the spatial journey unfolds through curving floor motifs that guide visitors like rivers winding from the mountains to the sea. A central double-height atrium
serves as a navigation hub, offering connections to food, wine, heritage, and retail experiences.
Warm timber tones and layered textures contribute to a welcoming cellar-door atmosphere throughout. Key spaces include a first-floor café with elevated views, a market hall styled as ‘Marlborough on a Platter,’ wine display lounges, a restaurant, private tasting rooms, and generous terraces overlooking the Taylor River. The contemporary intervention weaves together storytelling, placemaking, and commercial activation.
Opened in 1899, the Bishop Suter Art Gallery is the oldest continuously occupied public art gallery in New Zealand.
Registered Master Builders Awards, Civic Gold Award, National Value Award Winner
$5-$15 Million, Civic National Category Winner Award, 2017
NZ Museum Awards, Winner – Museum
Project Excellence Award, 2017
This extensive redevelopment replaced all of the existing building, except for the theatre and the Grade 2 listed Original Gallery. These historical spaces were fully restored to reveal the original roof trusses and external fabric, seismically strengthened, and brought up to modern gallery standards.
The new areas are designed as a contemporary counterpoint to the existing building, using glass, stone, zinc and the abstracted form of the Original Gallery to provide a sympathetic response to a much loved icon.
New spaces include three galleries, workshop, storage and office facilities, a new entrance
foyer, education spaces, plus a shop and café overlooking the adjacent Queens Gardens.
The new, vibrant cafe was designed to enhance the visitor experience with its expansive windows that frame views of the Queen’s Garden water feature. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating, making the most of Nelson’s favorable weather. The modern design, featuring glass, stone, and zinc, complements the existing architecture while providing a fresh, inviting space for patrons. The interior design, meanwhile, emphasises natural light and a spacious, open environment.
Situated over a man-made lake within the development, the 582m2 Tamahere Country Club Lakehouse will provide the development’s residents with a unique setting for shared social activities.
TAMAHERE COUNTRY CLUB – LAKE HOUSE
Facilities include a hall seating up to 100, amphitheater, kitchen, bar facilities opening out to the deck space, six indoor table tennis tables, three indoor bowls lanes and a dance studio with timber floor. An adjoining pavilion structure provides an open-air space for BBQs, yoga and other activities.
The contemporary design of the structure ties in with the surrounding buildings; exterior materiality is similar throughout, with long run metal roofs, Hinuera stone veneer
cladding and vertical timber cedar cladding on cavity walls.
The engineered superstructure consists of series of steel portal frames, with timber walls. Aluminum joinery is used throughout, and a large operable wall between the hall and amphitheater spaces can be opened up to join the two areas, creating a flexible space.
JTB Architects were engaged to develop a masterplan for the staged redevelopment of Motueka River Lodge, a boutique bed and breakfast located in the Motueka
River
Valley
MOTUEKA RIVER LODGE
The existing building was a timeless design by local architect Min Hall, and the intention was to stay true to the original character of the architecture while modernising the amenity for an enhanced guest experience. The scope of the project focused on both interior and exterior improvements to the existing main house, while subsequent phases outlined plans for the surrounding amenities and adjacent out-buildings.
The first phase prioritised creating an open chef’s kitchen and improving its connection to the adjacent guest spaces. A large central breakfast bar was introduced, complemented by a new scullery. The design improved the indoor-outdoor flow, linking the kitchen with expansive outdoor dining and living areas. An informal
lounge was created adjacent to the kitchen, maintaining the warmth and character of the space with a refurbished Aga wood burner oven.
The second phase addressed the exterior of the main house. The exterior palette was refreshed, with updates to paint colours, roofing materials, and stone cladding. A new cantilevered deck and pergola structure was suspended over the bush clad gulley below, creating a seamless outdoor experience for guests to engage with the tranquil landscape. The resulting architectural design coordinates with a new landscape approach to create a harmonious integration between the built and natural environments.
The masterplan for Waimea Plains village offers a new approach to retirement living focused on placemaking, social interaction, and solar access, with a layout that helps create connections and wider community integration.
WAIMEA PLAINS CLUBHOUSE
The largest site area and first phase of the village is devoted to 160 individual single storey residential villas in a mix of three bed, two bed and 1.5 bed units. A 484m2 clubhouse amenity building, completed in 2020, provides residents with further opportunities for social connection. The design brief for the clubhouse building called for a contemporary villa with flexible spaces.
The colonial architectural style references the history of the location, with contemporary forms incorporated through the roofscape and grand internal spaces.
The redevelopment of 7 Saint Vincent involves replacing parts of the existing Raukura Building with a new five-storey structure that aligns with the scale of neighbouring buildings.
SEVEN SAINT VINCENT
The design draws on local materials, colours, and features to harmonise with the site’s historical and natural context while offering a modern approach to premium senior living.
The village’s mature trees and parkland provide a scenic backdrop for 21 new and five existing apartments, each offering views from private balconies and shared spaces. The building incorporates timeless materials, distinctive arched windows inspired by the site, and premium finishes, creating a seamless
connection between interior and exterior spaces.
A two-storey atrium serves as the central hub, connecting residents and visitors to new amenities, including a bar, café, lounge, dining area, wellness centre, library, and administrative spaces. The design also simplifies circulation, linking the Raukura Building’s lower ground floor to amenity spaces and connecting apartment floors on level two with views into the atrium below.
Mangawhai Amenity building is part of the new Metlifecare village at Mangawhai Heads, and contains a mix of administrative, recreational, wellness, and hospitality services for the 160 Villas and 45 room Care Building on the 13ha site.
MANGAWHAI VILLAGE
Location Mangawhai Status In progress
The location is close to the beach, and that is reflected in this development which offers a casual beach inspired lifestyle to residents.
The amenity building is located at the heart of the village, in a highly visible location at the approach from the main entrance.
It is a single level building with an internal area of 1100m2, containing lounge, bar and dining areas for residents, with a commercial kitchen, library, multi-purpose activity room, swimming pool, spa and gym, as well as administrative and support facilities.
The building comprises two wings, with the admin and office areas facing the village entrance, and the gable form of the portecochere providing an obvious and welcoming arrival point. The
lounge and recreational wing is ‘cranked’ to follow the ring road geometry, with covered decks and glazing providing visibility of the activities within. Extended gables at the western end provide sheltered seating areas opening onto the surrounding ‘village green’ for outdoor activities, including petanque and lawn games, playground, productive gardens and outdoor seating areas.
The award-winning Pic’s Peanut Butter World is a purpose-built destination for locals and visitors to Nelson and a mustdo for lovers of peanut butter.
DINZ Best Awards –Bronze Award, Built Environment, 2020
New Zealand Commercial Project Awards – Silver Award, Industrial, 2020
The building’s design is a physical expression of the Pic’s brand personality – vibrant and innovative.
Designed to cater for future growth and act as a showcase for the company, the building houses a generous foyer featuring an attentiongrabbing spiral staircase and public café. Visitors are met ‘out front’ and then guided, step by step, through the processes of peanut butter production, which can be viewed from a tour mezzanine overlooking the working factory.
Storage, staff and office spaces round out the plan, with bold colour used playfully throughout to continue to express the Pic’s brand.
Construction is from pre-cast concrete panels and steel, and features a pair of gables, one recessed and solid for the loading canopy, and the other highly transparent with a glazed curtain wall on the street front.
The building purposely sits close to the street edge, directly interacting with the city and drawing in visitors.
