Jonathan Custance's golden rule of sustainable design

Jonathan Custance is a multi-award winning New Zealand architect and fellow of the Designers’ Institute of New Zealand, who founded his firm Custance over 25 years ago.

When it comes to Jonathan Custance, there's a personal connection for Method. It isn't that our offices were crafted by their skilled hands, or that our kitchen boasts their signature open plan, social styling. Rather, it was the gift of their wisdom.

During the three years of research, focus groups, and even cleaning night-shifts that it took to form our recycling bins, India and Steven were proud to be given creative feedback by Jonathan. A master of design, he inherently knows how people work, so when he spoke we listened.

Humans and their wellbeing provide the root of everything Custance does, especially on the esteemed projects they’ve completed, such as Accenture’s Wellington office, Fisher & Paykel’s Sydney headquarters, New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the NEC Innovation Centre. His practice revolves around the intersection of design and sustainability.

"The golden rule of design would be that form follows function."

Design to Custance is understanding an organisation’s business strategy and aligning a space to facilitate it. His creative process is extracting, observing, and talking through to get insights into the organisation. Where’s the company going? What’s driving a move? These are all things you need to facilitate with form.

“The biggest aspect of sustainability is the materials we use in the construction of the fitout,” says Jonathan Custance. “We’re always being mindful of the extremity of green buildings, as we’re professional members of the Green Council.”

Future-proofing a building is paramount for their team; there’s flexibility within the elements put into the building that can adapt in future generations with minimum alteration.

It may be more of an upfront cost, but it facilitates the future.

Find out more about Methods designer bins, or get in touch to find your workplace recycling solution.