Treadwell & Wild

Treadwell & Wild was a post-WWII Wellington practice led by Anthony Treadwell and Allan Wild that was active from c.1956-1958. The practice had an interest Modernism and in the development of “indigenous” national and regional styles of architecture for New Zealand. It focussed on the Modernist concerns of housing, urbanism and suburbia and produced a number of designs that looked beyond the nuclear family and the sterile tree-less landscape of the suburban subdivision. Along with Hazel Court (1954 – 56), a high-density apartment building designed in the International Style of the Modern Movement, the practice also designed the Etherton House, Hope House (1956), Dobbie House (c.1956) and Doreen Blumhardt House (1957). Both partners were active in the Wellington Architecture Centre, and both were members of “The Group”, an influential collective of architecture students from Auckland University.

Allan Arthur Wild (b.1927 -) was born in Fielding and raised in Lower Hutt. He worked for the Government Architect’s Office in 1944 before moving to Auckland to study architecture. He was a founder member of The Group and participated in the construction of the “First House”. Wild returned to Wellington in 1952 and worked for the Wellington City Council where he was soon promoted to architect-in-charge. He formed a partnership with Anthony Treadwell from c.1956-1958, was an associate with Porter & Martin from 1959 – 64, and a director of William’s Holdings’ architectural division from 1964 – 69. In 1969 he was appointed Professor of Architecture, Head of the School of Architecture and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Auckland University, and held these positions until he retired in 1993.

 

Sources:
Clark, Justine and Paul Walker, “Looking for the Local: Architecture and the New Zealand Modern” (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2000)
Gatley, Julia (Ed), “Group Architects: Towards a New Zealand architecture” (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2010)