WANAKA ARCHITECTS
Wanaka Architects

Creating Sustainable Architecture With Personality

At Chaney & Norman Architects, great design and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do in our Wānaka based practice. By creating homes that are energy efficient with a high level of thermal performance, we deliver warm, healthy and comfortable homes that our clients love to live in.

We embrace the fact that every client is unique. Good communication and well thought-out processes, alongside high quality design, ensure that we create a home that best suits you and your lifestyle. Each home is shaped in response to the local environment and to maximise the potential of the site and design brief.

Eco architecture in the Wanaka & Queenstown region

We believe the journey through every project should be collaborative and fun. As a small but mighty practice, we are friendly and approachable. We aim to make the creation of your home as enjoyable for you as it is for us. We provide complete concept design, documentation, contract and site observation services for your project. Refer to our Process page for an outline of these services. Our approach is nimble and flexible, responding to the personal needs of each client and project. We search for creative solutions to challenges by blending tried-and-tested methods with new technologies to achieve the best possible results for our clients and the environment.

Meet our Wānaka Architects

Beth Chaney - Chaney & Norman Architects Wanaka Headshots 2024
BETH CHANEY-WALKER 
PRINCIPAL BARCH (HONS)
One of our two Principals. She has over 15 years of experience in leading architectural practices across New Zealand.
Beth holds the title of a qualified Homestar Assessor with the New Zealand Green Building Council, and she’s proudly behind Wānaka’s first Homestar 8-certified home.
She has also undertaken training with the New Zealand Passive House Academy. Beth brings together a deep passion for sustainable design with a down-to-earth approach and enjoys collaborating with clients to design their dream home.

CHRIS NORMAN

PRINCIPAL BBSC, BARCH (HONS)
 Chris is a New Zealand Registered Architect and Homestar Practitioner with experience in delivering highly successful outcomes for residential, housing and commercial projects.
Chris has over 38 years of architectural experience and has been practising in Wanaka since 2003, earning the trust of the community and forging strong connections within the building industry on both a local and national level. 
His insights into the area’s unique challenges and potential for sustainable opportunities are invaluable.

ZOE THOMPSON 

REGISTERED ARCHITECT BAS, MARCH (PROF).
Zoë is a Registered Architect and Homestar Practitioner who started her career as a graduate in Auckland. She took the opportunity to move back home to Central Otago to join the team at Chaney & Norman, where she continued her studies towards her professional registration.
Within the office, Zoë is the ArchiCAD helper and the first port of call for any IT issues.
Outside of the office, Zoë enjoys pottering in her own garden, cooking for family and friends and exploring the outdoors with her dog Layla (who you may meet in the office).

CHELSEA BATCHELOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR (BAppSc)
Originally from Otago, Chelsea studied Consumer Food Science at the University of Otago, and worked as a Food Technologist and Quality Assurance Controller in this field for 10 years.
Based in Wānaka since 2022, she is responsible for general office administration and bookkeeping across three companies. She joined the team at Chaney & Norman Architects in 2023.

KATIE ANDERSON

JUNIOR ARCHITECTURAL TECHNICIAN (BA, NZDAT)
Katie is an Architectural Technology Graduate from Te Pukenga Open Polytechnic, a qualified Homestar Practitioner with the New Zealand Green Building Council and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in History & Politics from University of Otago.  
Katie is an active Wanaka local and loves a good family adventure.
She draws on her passion for the outdoors and spending time in nature during her work creating sustainable architecture. 
Chaney & Norman
SHIRLEY GEORGE
SENIOR ARCHITECTURAL TECHNICIAN (NZDAT)
Shirley is a Senior Architectural Technician and has worked in engineering and architectural firms across New Zealand.
She has enjoyed seeing the increased awareness towards sustainable design and is so happy to be part of it.
Travel by horseback makes her heart sing and she hopes to do more in the future.
beth chaney-walker and chris norman

Beth Chaney-Walker and Chris Norman formed a creative partnership in 2018, bringing together a wealth of design experience and a mutual passion for sustainable, high performing homes.

Our NZIA registered practice of architects and architectural graduates works collaboratively, with our team drawing on their collective experience to inform their designs. Previously known as Chris Norman Architecture, Chaney & Norman Architects has been helping clients realise their dream homes in New Zealand since 2009.