About Catherine

Catherine has always been aesthetically focused and detail-oriented, but her interest in architecture was cemented in 2001 while living in Telluride, Colorado. In this extreme mountain environment she experienced buildings which responded elegantly to their surroundings and functioned practically within a very challenging climate. She knew then that she wanted to achieve this same sense of harmony and appropriateness within New Zealand landscapes.

Growing up on Waiheke Island’s Onetangi Beach, she believes the importance of ‘response to site’ was likely etched into her from a young age. As children living in a small beachfront bach, she and her brothers were always aware of nature’s ever-changing conditions. Weather direction, light, drought, waves, sea spray, and UV exposure were all pertinent considerations to the children, and these are all conditions a building must also endure.

Catherine works closely with her husband Cass, a structural engineer, to provide architectural solutions to structural problems which consider all aspects of building performance, thereby minimising unnecessary costs, detailing, and resources. Resource conservation and environmentally conscious design are at the heart of the practice’s decision making process and are revisited throughout each design development stage.

Beyond architecture and design, Catherine has a diverse number of interests. She is a keen outdoors woman and advocate for the New Zealand landscape. She enjoys many sports from trail running to snowboarding, swimming to fly fishing. In her downtime she enjoys gardening, opera singing, reading and entertaining friends.

Catherine graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Architecture with honours in 2010 and has been running Catherine Elllen Architecture & Design Ltd since 2015.