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Architecture students working with models in the Otago Polytechnic studio
Ōtepoti DunedinAotearoa New Zealand

School ofArchitecture

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01The school

Design what comes
next, from here.

Learn to harness light, space, line, form and function to shape the built environment. In our studio culture, ideas move between drawing, making, technology and the realities of place.

Small classes, strong industry relationships and state-of-the-art facilities support you to become a designer, critical thinker and innovator.

Find your pathway ↘
3 + 2Bachelor and professional master pathway
02Undergraduate specialisations
01Professionally accredited architecture master in the South Island
480Hours of master-level work experience opportunity
02Student work

Work in progress.

ArchitectureInteriorTechnologyCommunity
Student spatial design proposal showing a tensile fabric pavilion beside the water
18.08.26Awards / Student success

Ten School of Architecture projects named 2026 Best Awards finalists

Ten student projects from Otago Polytechnic’s School of Architecture have been named finalists in the 2026 Best Awards.

Presented annually by the Designers Institute of New Zealand, the Best Awards are Aotearoa New Zealand’s national showcase of design excellence. They recognise outstanding work across disciplines including spatial design, and form an important national archive of contemporary New Zealand design.

Congratulations to all successful students.

View the 2026 finalists

Student & Academic Spatial finalists

  1. 01
    Hannah Winter

    Castle on the Cliff

  2. 02
    Hudson Ross

    Te Kore Te Pō Te Ao

  3. 03
    Flynn Connolly

    Pīwakawaka Landing Next to Water

  4. 04
    Patrick Ketchen

    Korowai o Aotearoa

  5. 05
    Sarah Scott

    Tipping Point

  6. 06
    Abby Taylor

    A Circular Approach

  7. 07
    Ryno Von Wielligh

    Lighthouse Entertainment Precinct

  8. 08
    Erica Morris

    Where People Go

  9. 09
    Omea Hall

    De-instituionalising Dementia Care

  10. 10
    Eden Rose-Yon

    Between Walls and Words

03Study

Build your path.

From a first studio brief to professional registration, study is organised around real projects, critical enquiry and the skills to put ideas into practice.

01

Undergraduate / Level 7

Bachelor of Architectural Studies

Develop skills in design, drawing, computer-aided design, building science, construction and communication. Choose Architectural Technology or Interior Architecture—and keep the pathway to registered practice open.

Duration
3 years full-time / 5 years part-time
Location
Dunedin / On campus
Intake
February
Programme details ↗
02

Postgraduate / Level 9 / NZRAB accredited

Master of Architecture (Professional)

Advance your architectural practice through complex design, heritage, a major research project and ethical, ecologically sustainable ways of working. The programme is the final academic step toward registration in New Zealand.

Duration
2 years full-time / 4 years part-time
Location
Dunedin / On campus
Intakes
February and July
Programme details ↗
01Bachelor3 years
02Professional master2 years
03Practice3+ years
04NZRAB registrationRegistered architect
Architecture students presenting proposals for the future of Cargill's CastlePlace / heritage / future
04Rangahau / Research

Questions with consequence.

Research across the school connects architecture discourse to the industry and communities around us—locally, nationally and globally.

  1. 01Natural Building Materials
  2. 02Digital Technologies & Tectonics
  3. 03Conservation & Heritage Architecture
  4. 04Environment & Planetary Systems
  5. 05Te Hononga & Māori housing
  6. 06Urban Fabric
  7. 07Architecture Pedagogy
Explore architecture research ↗
05People

Learn with practitioners.

Architects, designers, technologists, researchers and makers bring current practice into every studio conversation.

01

Tobias Danielmeier

Head of School | Associate Professor

Industrial architecture, hospitality and regenerative resource use

02

Sarah McCallum

Bachelor of Architectural Studies Coordinator | Senior Lecturer

Design studio, restoration, conservation and communication

03

Leana Scheffer

Master of Architecture (Professional) Coordinator | Senior Lecturer

04

Antonio Lara Hernandez

School of Architecture Research Coordinator

Meet the whole school ↗
06News + events

What’s happening.

Aotearoa Festival of Architecture 2026 Southern Branch graphic
19.08.26Festival / Events

AOTEAROA FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE

  1. 01
    Pecha Kucha

    Dunedin Public Art Gallery

  2. 02
    Ted McCoy Lecture Series — Joseph Hampton

    WAM

  3. 03
    Architecture + Woman — Movie Night

    School of Architecture

  4. 04
    SAANZ Ball
18.08.26

Ten School of Architecture projects named 2026 Best Awards finalists

Awards / Student success29.05.26

Hudson Ross takes New Zealand student honours at the Dulux Colour Awards

Student success15.04.26

Architecture pair recognised for bold Dunedin visions

Awards2025

Master of Architecture (Professional) earns full NZRAB accreditation

School news
Applications / Portfolio / 2027

Your first project is the application.

Show us how you see the world. Your application includes an online form, a cover letter and a portfolio of 6–12 pieces of your own creative work.

  • Finished work and works in progress
  • Drawing, photography, models, sculpture or digital work
  • Evidence of ideas, composition and range
How to apply ↗architecture@op.ac.nz