Lifetime Achievement Winner

Name: Ian Bowman

Ian is New Zealand’s leading conservation architect and the ‘keeper of the history of buildings’.  Delving into historical images and information on old buildings and homes, Ian has been able to use this to provide guidance on appropriate colour schemes to redecorate heritage homes and buildings long after they have been built, in keeping with their original style and design intention.  Many a garishly modern painted colour scheme has been replaced by an aesthetically pleasing colour scheme to bring out the best in our historical buildings.

Building conservation is a relatively new field, especially in New Zealand. Ian was the first New Zealander to complete a postgraduate qualification in this field of specialisation. In his architectural practice, based in Wellington and Nelson, he has worked on projects as diverse as the conservation of historical homes, bridges and railway carriages, and the restoration of the St James theatre in Wellington. Ian is also a lecturer at Victoria University’s school of architecture.The Resene Heritage colour range was developed in the mid 1990s with Ian’s colour expertise and knowledge of colours that were appropriate to different eras of homes.  As we have started to appreciate the history of our built environment, this heritage colour palette and Ian’s guidance notes on use, have helped many home decorators embrace and celebrate the history of their home through their colour choices. The chart has been instrumental in helping people choose colours that respect the age of the building they are painting.

Since then, Ian has undertaken paint analysis on a great number of buildings which has reinforced that the colours on the chart, based more on academic research than practical discoveries, are accurate and authentic heritage colours. 

Through Ian’s work the history of colour use on our homes and buildings has been unlocked for others to use as inspiration for their own colour selections.