The Architect Who ACTUALLY BUILDS
How do we bridge the gap between architectural plans and what actually gets built on site?
In this episode of the TALKdesign Podcast, Adrian Ramsay sits down with Jae Warrander, co-founder and architectural director of the award-winning Wellington practice Makers. Together, they explore what happens when spatial design and physical construction come together under one roof, diving into how integrated design-build workflows eliminate building surprises, protect budgets, and elevate spatial quality.
Adrian and Jae unpack how early contractor involvement paired with immersive virtual reality transforms the client experience. While traditional 2D floorplans are easily misinterpreted, stepping into a digital 3D model in VR allows every detail—from window sightlines to complex roof junctions—to be tested, understood, and perfected before anything is manufactured off site. Combined with cross-laminated timber (CLT), CNC precision, and off-site manufacturing, this approach allows bespoke, high-performance homes to go together smoothly, even on challenging, wind-swept sites.
They also explore the story behind the Ata Rangi tasting room in Martinborough—a project that earned a prestigious New Zealand Architecture Award on the firm’s ten-year anniversary. Remarkably sparked by a local council notice requiring compliant public toilets, the project expanded into an expressive, site-responsive design crafted using macrocarpa timber milled directly from the property’s aging shelter trees.
It is an inspiring discussion on material choice, environmental sensitivity, and the magic that occurs when creative vision meets practical making.
What We Cover in This Episode:
• Closing the Design-Build Gap: How combining design and construction under one roof eliminates miscommunication and paper architecture.
• The Power of VR Visualisation: Why clients misread 2D plans and how stepping inside a digital model solves problems before breaking ground.
• Mass Timber & Off-Site Manufacturing: How cross-laminated timber (CLT) and CNC precision streamline builds on complex sites.
• Award-Winning Architecture: The story behind the Ata Rangi winery tasting room and how a council notice for toilets led to a national architecture award.
• Site-Responsive Materials: Reclaiming local shelter-belt timber and using natural lime-wash plasters to create healthy, calm, and grounded spaces.
Episode Timestamps
03:45 – Jae’s journey: Lego, joinery, and discovering architecture through problem-solving.
07:50 – Solat Decathlon, First Light House, and the shift toward mass timber (CLT).
15:10 – Designing in Virtual Reality: Bridging the gap for clients and builders alike.
22:00 – Early Contractor Involvement and solving site constraints before fabrication.
28:30 – Drone site analysis for view angles and light orientation.
32:30 – Deep Dive: The award-winning Ata Rangi Tasting Room in Martinborough.
39:30 – Upcycling site history: Milling on-site Macrocarpa weatherbelt trees into finished architecture.
51:30 – The emotional quality of a space: Designing for connection and ease.
58:00 – Materiality, healthy buildings, and the future of wellness in interior design.
1:01:40 – Jae’s dream final project and his quickfire question for architectural photographer Simon Devitt.
