Billy Wallis
The University of Auckland
Introducing Billy Wallis for this week’s Show Us Your Portfolio Showcase! Billy is a third year architecture student from the University of Auckland, who started compiling his favourite works through his summer break at home in Taupō. Billy loves exploring different media types in his design, including using melting soap to create a site model, inspired by Peter Zumthor’s wax modelling.
SANNZ: Hey Billy! How would you describe your portfolio?
Billy: My portfolio is a collection of images from the past two years, with quite a broad range of outputs, from plans and models to furniture making. I’ve really got into screen printing through my media paper but I haven’t been able to add any prints to my portfolio yet because of the university closure last semester.
SANNZ: What drove you to produce a portfolio?
Billy: I like having a library of my work. Like a professional ‘camera roll’. It is a good place to store and curate images, as if it were a digital scrapbook.
SANNZ: Yeah, we agree! When did you start putting it together?
Billy: Sometime between my 2nd and 3rd year, I had a bit of spare time in the summer holidays and thought it would be cool to keep all my work in one place. I guess it will come in handy when I can add to it for job applications too.
SANNZ: That's a good time to compile projects before the next year starts. Have you managed to keep it up to date?
Billy: I update it when I complete a new project. As a consequence, I’ll shave off older drawings so the whole thing doesn’t get too long. It just becomes my holiday project.
SANNZ: What is your favourite project in your portfolio currently?
Billy: My most recent project, Hiapo House (Design 5). Hiapo House is the dwelling and home studio of John Pule. He is renowned for his interpolation of the Niuean art of Hiapo; the local way of communication through narratives linked onto barkcloth. I really like the blending of art and architecture to create an experiential building. It helped to push my understanding of different typologies and design at a smaller scale. Although, it's hard to choose a favourite as there’s bits I like in all the projects.
SANNZ: That sounds like an interesting project! What is an aspect you like to showcase in this project?
Billy: Probably my lockdown site model for the Hiapo House. We had the choice of rendering the design or making a 1:500 scale model. I used Peter Zumthor as my inspiration for my site model. He makes models using wax, but during lock down I had to improvise materials like polystyrene I found on Dominion Road, or bars of soap from Countdown to create the base. I underestimated how much I would need so I had to go back for more. It has always cracked me up thinking that the landmass is just melted bars of soap!
SANNZ: These projects always have huge workloads. What helps you through, either in studio or when you’re working from home?
Billy: You’ve got to take regular breaks. Always a decent night sleep. And a good laugh with mates.
SANNZ: Finally, what is the most helpful feedback you have ever received?
Billy: I was told that good ideas create good architecture. So, I always strive to design mindfully. I love looking into the narratives associated with new projects – this is a good way to put this into practice.
SANNZ: Thanks for talking to us Billy! Do you have any links to other projects?
Billy: I’ve got my work up on Instagram!
Images of work provided by Billy Wallis
Interview by Nat Bocock
