New Technical Leaders Appointed

Stuart Houghton is Technical Lead for Urban Design; and Rhys Girvan is Technical Lead for Landscape Planning.

Stuart has been the urban design lead on multi-disciplinary teams for complex development, infrastructure, and public realm projects. His role typically focuses on transport and land use integration challenges and finding solutions to increase the scale and pace of change required to achieve a just transition for Aotearoa’s cities in a changing climate.

His most recent work includes urban design roles in the Let’s Get Wellington Moving Programme and Auckland Light Rail; the development of the Aotearoa Urban Street Planning and Design Guide for Waka Kotahi; the Taupo Town Centre Revitalisation; and the Auckland City Centre Masterplan 2020; as well as providing advice and input to many significant development projects in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and beyond.

Rhys has over 20 years’ landscape planning experience across urban, rural and coastal environments. His expertise includes broad-scale landscape characterisation and evaluation assessments, natural character assessments, assessments of landscape and visual effects for development proposals, site planning, and the formulation of measures to avoid, remedy or mitigate potential adverse effects. 

In February 2023, as a member of the NZILA Working Group for RMA Reforms, Rhys presented the Institute’s submission to the Natural and Built Environment Bill select committee hearing, along with Shannon Bray and Di Lucas.

Both Stuart and Rhys are NZILA-registered landscape architects.

Boffa Miskell’s Technical Leaders are responsible for oversight and development of our disciplines through input into, and development and implementation of, national strategies and action plans.

Stuart and Rhys join the other Technical Leads: Chris Ferguson (planning), Yoko Tanaka (landscape architecture) Dr Tanya Blakely (sciences) and Te Pio Kawe (Te Hīhiri).