Studio
+MAP Architects is a Christchurch based, award-winning architecture and interior design studio focused on excellence, innovation and collaboration.
Formed in Christchurch in 2001, the practice is managed by Director Simon Elvidge, and currently operates with 23 staff. We enjoy the continuity of involvement from +MAP founding partner Kerry Mason (NZIA Fellow).
We create unique, modern architecture that seeks to excite, lift the spirits, and create a sense of place. We work on a broad range of projects across varied typologies, scale, and diverse locations.
We listen closely to our clients, reframing their aspirations through the lens of our creative insight, technical experience and collaborative process. Our staff operate as a collective across all projects and we believe this approach ensures that each project benefits from our complimentary skills, passion for design and accumulated experience.
Approach
The work of the practice is based upon a solid foundation of design excellence, cost and programme control, and the achievement of the highest architectural quality and value.
Our work is driven by a consistent philosophical approach, rather than a predetermined architectural style. As a result, we aim to create considered buildings that are intimately connected to the circumstances and needs of our clients, as well as the specifics of context and function. We are honest with materials, innovative with their potential, and aim to reduce visual clutter through refined detailing.
Above all, we strive for creative, innovative and appropriate Architecture. We believe buildings have the ability to evoke imagery beyond the functional requirements and speak of the people, place and time that they engage with. A careful interplay between intuitive thinking and analytical rigour shapes design responses that are regionally grounded, contextually attuned, and functionally resolved.
The Team
+MAP operates with a core team of architectural talent consisting of Registered Architects, Graduate Architects and Architectural Technicians.
Our Associates - Patrick Smart, Sam Fastier, Daniel Ward, Scott Paton, and Finn Sansom form a critical part of the leadership team at +MAP, bringing a diverse range of skills and experience in leading a wide range of award-winning projects of all scales across Aotearoa.
Sustainability
Sustainability is central to +MAP’s practice and our work.
We view sustainable design holistically, embedding responsible material selection and energy efficiency within a broader ecological context, focusing on creating meaningful connections between built environments and the natural world. From initial site selection through to building services, envelope, and landscape design, we integrate passive environmental design principles that minimize environmental impact while enhancing human experience.
We believe architects hold the tools and responsibility to effect positive change, and we see each project as a potential legacy for both its owners and future generations. We take an integrated design approach, with a high level of collaboration between the client and consultant team, to ensure each project is sympathetic to environmental and programmatic requirements. The future flexibility and adaptability of each project is carefully considered.
+MAP includes both Greenstar design specialists and accredited Homestar designers.
BIM
Building Information Modelling (BIM) underpins every stage of our design, communication, coordination, and documentation processes. All drawing outputs at a scale of 1:25 or greater are fully BIM-generated to LOD 350, while construction detailing at 1:5 or 1:10 is developed in 2D.
Our BIM process facilitates active collaboration with consultants—sharing, reviewing, and refining models throughout the design phase to ensure a fully coordinated and well-considered outcomes.
This digital pre-construction strategy is aimed at fully resolving systems and interfaces prior to construction, enabling greater opportunities for off-site fabrication and reducing on-site waste and inefficiency.
We operate a state-of-the-art computer network with high-performance CAD workstations, utilising a hybrid system of local and cloud-based services. ArchiCAD is our primary BIM platform, and we have extensive experience collaborating with consultants working in various BIM environments. For visualisation, we use Twinmotion to produce high-quality digital illustrations, visual simulations, and animations.
Simon Elvidge
Simon is the Managing Director of +MAP and brings a wealth of experience to the practice, having led the design and delivery of numerous residential and commercial projects across New Zealand. His award-winning portfolio spans a wide range of scales.
Simon is particularly passionate about the process of design and construction. He leads many of +MAP’s major projects, combining strategic insight with hands-on leadership throughout the process.
With a high level of design focus, Simon is committed to creating commercially viable and sustainable architecture that reflects its time, circumstance, and the people who contribute to its creation.
As Managing Director, Simon is actively involved in the design and critique of all +MAP projects, providing considered direction and design thinking to ensure client aspirations and values are meaningfully translated across a wide range of briefs and scales.
Leadership Team
Patrick Smart
Patrick Smart brings a wealth of experience across a wide-ranging portfolio of award-winning commercial and residential projects.
With a strong design focus his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to craft thoughtful, uplifting spaces.
He thrives on building strong, collaborative relationships with clients, ensuring that every project is both well-resolved and deeply considered.
Patrick’s work is defined by thoughtful, uplifting architecture and a passion for delivering distinctive, high-quality design outcomes grounded in meaningful narrative.
Sam Fastier
With a strong commitment to design excellence, Sam manages a skilled team through the design stages, ensuring architectural quality is maintained from concept to completion.
Sam excels in building open, collaborative relationships with clients, resulting in highly tailored, bespoke solutions that reflects the client’s vision and aspire to enhances any project's context and sense of place.
Sam’s work reflects a commitment to design excellence—balancing functionality, attention to detail, and aesthetic clarity.
Dan Ward
Dan Ward specialises in the delivery of large-scale and technically complex projects. With a deep passion for construction and a wealth of knowledge, Dan has successfully led the delivery of a wide range of commercial developments throughout New Zealand.
He works closely with clients and consultant teams to ensure each project upholds design excellence, commercial viability, and construction efficiency. Dan is a leader in technical documentation and consultant coordination, known for navigating complex design challenges with clarity and precision.
His commitment to quality and process ensures seamless project delivery from concept through to completion. An expert and industry leader in IT, BIM, and CAD management, Dan is instrumental in the coordination and execution of projects all scales and complexity.
Scott Paton
After two decades in London leading a wide range of large-scale projects, Scott joined +MAP in 2022 and has since played a key role in the design and delivery of numerous projects.
His strategic design approach, meticulous attention to detail, and deep understanding of complex project delivery brings immense value to the practice.
Scott is known for fostering strong relationships with clients and project teams. His commitment to enduring, high-quality design and collaborative delivery has been exemplary.
Finn Sansom
Since joining the practice, Finn has played an important role across a wide range of residential and commercial projects. His considered design approach, technical capability and collaborative attitude have seen him become a valued member of the team.
Passionate about architecture and committed to continual learning, Finn embraces the collaborative environment that defines +MAP and enjoys supporting those around him while continuing to develop his own practice.
Kerry Mason
Kerry Mason is a founding partner of +MAP Architects and an NZIA Fellow with more than two decades of leadership within the practice. Serving as Director of +MAP from 2001 to 2016, and continuing as an Architect and Consultant since then, Kerry has played a central role in shaping the studio’s design culture, professional standards, and project outcomes.
Kerry’s experience spans a broad range of project types, consistently grounded in the principles of design clarity, contextual responsiveness, and refined detailing. Kerry’s ongoing involvement with the practice provides invaluable design insight and continuity. His commitment to architectural excellence, mentorship, and the advancement of the profession continues to influence +MAP’s work and contributes meaningfully to the architectural landscape of Christchurch and Aotearoa.