W+M welcomes home extraordinary talent Claire Sharpe

Beginning her career with Warren and Mahoney (W+M) over 14 years ago, the Wellington studio warmly welcomes Claire Sharpe back as Associate Principal. Claire spent her first five-years at W+M honing her skills, before heading to London where she joined International architectural firm Foster + Partners, transferring to their San Francisco Studio to help realise the design ambition of Apple Park – the corporate headquarters of the world’s favourite technology brand.

While in California, Claire also helped set the blueprint for the Apple customer experience, working on the design of their flagship retail stores, which set the benchmark for experiential bricks and mortar retail to this day.

“One of the most fascinating things about designing alongside Apple was the process, which always started with the user experience and working out from there. What this meant in practice was design would always start in the fine detail of a particular experience. This ensured the spaces and architecture worked seamlessly across both micro and macro scales.

“The attention to detail was unrelenting. This process and ethos is what shaped Apple Park. There were no preconceived ideas, just passionate and user-focused design thinking which shaped the iconic and revered headquarters as we know it today.”

Claire also led various visionary city planning projects across California, where she was passionate about redefining sustainable density, and this remains a passion to this day.

W+M Wellington Studio Principal, Katherine Skipper, says she is delighted to see Claire’s return to the practice.

“We knew Claire was extraordinary talent - even as a graduate - and were fortunate to play a role in her early years.

“We’re proud that given her extensive and steady experience with Foster + Partners and impressive client portfolio, she’s chosen to return to Warren and Mahoney for the next chapter of her career.

“We look forward to benefiting from Claire’s offshore experiences and being able to offer a fresh perspective to our clients wanting to future-proof the built environment into the long term.”

While based in Wellington, Claire will bring her specialist insight to projects and clients across the group.