Current Team

Pedersen Zari is the Primary Investigator of the Marsden project NUWAO (Nature-based Urban design for Wellbeing and Adaptation in Oceania) and a Principle Investigator in Aotearoa BiodiverCITY, part of the People, Cities and Nature research programme.

Tēna koutou katoa. He uri tenei nō Ngati Pakehā, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto, me Ngai Te Rangi hoki. I tipu ake au I raro I te maru o Rangitoto. No Tāmaki ahau. Kei Kaipātiki ahau e noho ana i tēnei wa. Ko Sibyl Bloomfield tōku ingoa. He Kaihoahoa me Kaiako whenua au.

Sibyl is a Landscape Architect and Senior Lecturer at Huri Te Ao Hoahoanga – School of Future Environments, Auckland University of Technology, AUT – with over 10 years teaching experience in Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Shereena Noelle Sumeran is an architectural designer and Lecturer at AUT based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, working at the intersection of architectural design, cultural storytelling, and sustainability. Shereena brings an Aotearoa and Pacific place-responsive lens to architectural education – supporting students to explore design as a vehicle for social and ecological transformation.

Thesis Working Title: ‘Plants of Place’ – (Re)Planting our natural heritage in urban Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Ocean Mercier, and Joanna Meerwood-Salisbury.

Maria is teaching fellow in landscape architecture at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Her research examines the benefits of prioritising plants that naturally occurred in an area in the past in urban public places in Aotearoa New Zealand.  She is particularly interested in the significance of plants for Māori and other Indigenous Peoples, planting design, natural heritage, urban design and cultural landscapes. She continues to teach studio and lecture courses in the landscape programme at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. 

Thesis Working Title: ‘Application of Regenerative Architectural Principles in Densely Populated Cities’
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari, and Amanda Yates.

I am an Architectural Designer and PhD researcher driven by a commitment to designing built environments that restore ecological balance while improving everyday urban life. My work is grounded in regenerative and place-based design approaches that recognise the relationship between people, nature, and the cities they inhabit.

My PhD research focuses on how regenerative architectural principles can be effectively integrated into high-density urban environments to move beyond conventional sustainability toward systems that actively restore ecological health. I am particularly interested in strategies that reposition buildings as contributors to environmental regeneration, social wellbeing, and urban resilience. My key research question is: How can regenerative design strategies be applied to buildings in densely populated cities to enhance ecological health, social resilience, and overall urban liveability?

I bring both academic depth and professional design experience to my work and remain passionate about contributing to research and collaborative initiatives that advance more responsive and life-supporting urban futures.

Thesis Working Title: ‘Community-led sustainable housing’
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari and Amanda Yates.

Jaideep Vyas is an architect and town planner with over fifteen years of professional and academic experience spanning architectural practice, community development, and higher education. His PhD research examines community-led and participatory approaches to sustainable housing in Aotearoa New Zealand. He is currently on a break from his doctoral studies and is based in India, where he is engaged in applied research and development practice with the NGO People’s Education and Development Organization (PEDO), working on initiatives related to sustainable livelihoods, Micro-entrepreneurship development, energy, and community-led infrastructure in tribal regions of Rajasthan.

Key Research Questions / Areas of Focus:

-Transnational knowledge exchange between the Global South and Aotearoa New Zealand
-Community-led and participatory housing and settlement models
-Adaptation of Participatory Resource Appraisal (PRA) in urban and Indigenous contexts
-Housing justice, social capital, and urban resilience

Willy Missack is working towards his PhD at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He was the Vanuatu Climate Action Network (VCAN) coordinator and Pacific Climate Change Collaboration Influence Learning (PACCCIL) Project Coordinator at Oxfam, Vanuatu and Vanuatu’s Negotiator on Adaptation and Loss and Damage since COP23. He is engaged in a lot of climate change work in Vanuatu; and was first awarded youth of Vanuatu by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 with a Queen Young Leaders’ Award for his service to the Vanuatu community. At the regional level, he is serving as the Oceania Regional Coordinator for Conference of Youth (COY16) and the One Young World (OYW) Coordinating Ambassador of the Pacific.

Thesis Research Question: How can facade adaptations be applied in order to meet the needs of a growing urban environment faced with climate change?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield, Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Saving Face: Future proofing Tamaki Makaurau through facade adaption

Bio: My name is Cosmo Bloor, I am in my fifth year of study at AUT. I have always been interested in design and creating things as a child and now I can apply these drawing and making skills into a constructive methodology. I like to work tactically with model making, testing out ideas and materials. I also have a love for the vivid scenery that Aotearoa provides us, and I enjoy drawing connections from nature into my work.  

Research Description: For my masters thesis I wanted to work in a field of study which could be used in the future within my own practice. I am interested in the future and ways in which architecture can shape and improve our day to day lives, while also creating positive feedback loops within the environment. I am especially interested in shaping the future of our cities through integrating greenery with architectural interventions. 

Thesis Research Question: How can biophilic principles be integrated into the design of hospitals to optimise the experience of New Zealanders in geriatric and psychogeriatric wards?
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Sibyl Bloomfield

Thesis Research Question: How can architecture provide urban acupuncture points to regenerate the environment through community involvement?
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Sibyl Bloomfield

Positionality Bio: I am Jaden Fernandes, I immigrated to Aotearoa in 2016 with my family. I was born and raised in the bustling city of Mumbai. Auckland was a real culture shock for us, and every day has been a new learning experience. Having spent time in two drastically different cities, I want to understand the city better and help create a better environment for us to live in. I am now in my final year as a Master of Architecture (Professional) student, and I am curious about regenerating urban areas and their impact on people. Building a thriving ecosystem and connecting communities. Green infrastructure is lacking in Auckland, especially in the city centre. I aim to build a network of green spaces throughout the city with the help of local communities.

Thesis Research Question: How can Architecture integrate regenerative food growing practices and reconciliate farmers, consumers, and ecology’s relationship within the built environment to facilitate food literacy and sovereignty?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield, Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Positionality Bio: Kia ora, my name is Bonnie, I’m a 5th year Master of Architecture student in 2025. I am of Pākehā and Korean descent, born in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. Growing up I had many experiences with the natural environment, whether that be in the garden with my nanna, picking plums and fishing with my poppa, living close to the Waitākere Ranges and spending most weekends in the forest or beaches with my dad, growing a garden with Korean food with my mum, and hearing the stories of the farm she grew up in rural Korea. The natural environment, gardening and food harvesting is prominent in my life, which has heavily influenced my relationship and passion for the natural world and my design practice to engage with it regeneratively. My practice reflects a hope for people to be able to experience similar connections and develop appreciation for the natural world to work with and nurture it, especially in a time of climate change, biodiversity loss, and exploitation of the natural environment.

Research Description: My research investigates the relationship between the built environment and food production, how regenerative architecture practices can be involved in food systems change to foster food sovereignty, literacy and resiliency that support symbiosis between ecology, farmers, and consumers for an improved future where healthy food is cultivated and accessible to all in Aotearoa. 

Thesis Research Question: How can architectural strategies minimise disaster impact, facilitate rapid recovery, and enhance long-term resilience in vulnerable communities?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield, Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Positionality Bio: I am Rita Lai, an Aotearoa-born Taiwanese and a 5th Year Master of Architecture student. Passionate about exploring and observing cities, I am especially drawn to historical buildings, imagining the lives of those who once inhabited them. I also enjoy walking in lush, tranquil settings that foster a deep connection to nature. As I navigate different landscapes, I reflect on how elements interact and shape the world around us, shaping my perspective as a designer.le with nature. 

Research Description: My research explores the role of architecture in disaster response and long-term resilience, focusing on regions vulnerable to environmental challenges. I aim to investigate how architectural strategies can minimise damage, accelerate recovery, and strengthen community resilience.

Thesis Research Question: How can the architectural form be utilised in a holistic sense to create environmentally immersive architecture?

Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Positionality Bio: As a child, born in the fertile Taranaki region, some early memories are of lying in a daisy-scattered field,
looking up as clouds bypassed the iridescent sky, cicadas singing loudly, the sun fully immersing my skin.
In my final year of primary school, as part of local Rotary initiative, each student received seeds to plant
and grow their own vegetable garden. I will always remember how I felt, awarded certificate of my effort,
enjoying for the first time succulent radishes, grown by mother nature, harvested by my own hands. In later
years, whenever I would encounter feelings of ecstasy or despair, I would always seek out the most nature encompassed spot within viable reach.

Our environment, on both a conscious and subconscious level, hosts components critical to the way we
behave, act, and feel. As humans we rely on the built environment to provide shelter, landmark orientation,
and to navigate through different life stages. Surroundings speak loudly to us in so many ways – as an
emerging architect, I strive to encapsulate this dialogue into tangible language, translated through the built
form. I am passionate about environmental and social cohesion, alongside tackling the
underrepresentation of minority groups through architecture.

I believe that the consequence of environmentally immersive architecture is symbiotic beauty.

Research Description: This research through design aims to produce an architectural form that is the direct result of
environmental, spatial, and programmatic intention. Focusing on the implementation of architecture as a
tool of physical narration, the substantial building will be of subsidiary importance to its forefront purpose
and context. The aim is to bring into realisation architectural design which responsively varies depending
on programmatic intention, site locality, and the community in which it exists, creating a deeper and more
highly relevant connection between occupants and their associative environment.

An environment holds the ability to provide intimacy, comfort, and support; vital to providing a
contemporary and holistic setting, meeting the individual needs for those who depend upon it. I wish to
explore the relationship between therapy, structure, and one’s environment on a physiological level;
including how architectural functional priorities interact with psychological aspects relating to the
humanisation of space. I intend to use architecture as a tangible form to convey the intangible, by exploring
the architectural narrative of end-of-life care within Aotearoa New Zealand; a complex spiritual, emotional,
and physical journey that affects patients, whānau, and carers.

A palliative care facility conveys the opportunity to explore the need beyond basic programmatic
functionality within architecture; environmental orientation and unique community demands play a crucial
role. With a rapidly increasing aged population, and only eight of the thirty-two Aotearoa hospices existing
within the South Island, this establishes opportunity to align community alongside unique environment,
orientating architecture to remediate future environments. Experience of space within the Ōtepoti Dunedin
geographical context will hold variance compared to other parts of Aotearoa.

A main driver behind this research proposal is the need for contextually responsive architecture, to
implement mutually beneficial environments between the scenario and user.

Thesis Research Question: How can biophilic design, informed by Aotearoa’s natural environment and Māori perspectives, enhance community architecture?
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Sibyl Bloomfield

Positionality Bio 

Ko Cilla Tomlinson tōku ingoa. I am a Master of Architecture (Professional) candidate based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. My design practice is grounded in a deep appreciation for the natural environment and a commitment to creating spaces that promote human well-being and ecological health. I approach this research as a Pākehā designer seeking to respectfully engage with Indigenous knowledge systems and ecological design frameworks. Growing up surrounded by Aotearoa’s diverse landscapes has shaped my belief in the power of nature to heal and restore. This thesis reflects my aspiration to contribute to a more responsive, regenerative architectural practice that aims to reconnect people with nature. 

Research Description 

This research explores how biophilic design, informed by Aotearoa’s unique ecological and cultural context, can be integrated into the design of a community centre in Takapuna to support well-being. It draws on Terrapin Bright Green’s 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, Te Aranga Māori Design Principles, and third place theory to investigate the intersections between architecture, nature, and mental health. Through design-led inquiry, this thesis develops a site-specific proposal that reconnects people with place and seeks to foster whanaungatanga (relationships), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), and mauri ora (well-being) through spatial experience. 

Thesis Topic: How can we integrate Te Ao Māori and regenerative design tools to enhance the wellbeing of aged residents in healthcare environments?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Kia Ora, I am a Master of Architecture (Prof) student exploring the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, wellbeing, and the built environment. Growing up in the Waikato, surrounded by the landscapes of Aotearoa, my childhood was surrounded by whenua and people. That connection continues to inform how I approach both research and design. People grounded in whenua. 

My work investigates how architecture can act as a framework for cultural regeneration and community-led healthcare spaces in Aotearoa. I am particularly interested in design as a relational practice; One that restores connections between people, whenua, and systems of care.

My approach to research is with both critical rigour and creativity. As someone who is naturally curious and people oriented, I value collaboration, storytelling, and meaningful engagement. I am driven by a desire to design spaces that feel purposeful, empowering, and grounded in care.

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Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

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Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

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Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

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Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari