William Tozer - BA, BAS, BArch (Hons)
William Tozer was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from The University of Auckland in 1997. He has since furthered his studies overseas and set up a successful architecture and design practice in London.
William majored in geography while studying his BA, before turning his focus to design and theory for his BAS. He was drawn to study at the School of Architecture because of its focus on art process. He believes this strength may have something to do with the school’s close proximity to Elam School of Fine Arts.
After leaving the University William continued his studies at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He then moved to London where he completed his professional exams and was admitted to the register held by the Architect’s Registration Board and became a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
He gained experience working in London before setting up his own practice in 2002. Since then William’s work has featured in a number of publications including The Times, The Architect’s Journal, Grand Designs magazine, Living Etc and Elle Decoration. In 2004 he was nominated for a Hackney Design Award, and in 2004 and 2006 he had projects selected for the London Open House Programme.
William’s practice currently focuses on private houses; a genre he believes is "less inhibited by the normalising forces that act upon architectural projects of a larger scale". Alongside this work he has also worked as a part-time lecturer in design at the Canterbury School of Architecture, delivered lectures at the RIBA and City University and written extensively for a number of magazines and journals.
He has fond memories of his time at The University of Auckland and particularly remembers the creative atmosphere of the studio spaces at the School of Architecture. Influential staff he remembers from the school include Brent Allpress, Andrew Barrie, Clinton Bird and Ross Jenner.
William advises current students make the most of their time studying, "university provides a fabulous opportunity for research uninhibited by commercial realities. Students should grasp this opportunity, particularly in the discipline of architecture, where this research takes the form of design," he says.
Denys Boshier, William’s stepfather, was an associate professor at The University of Auckland for a number of years and his mother, father, stepmother, and two of his siblings have also completed degrees at the University.
Find out about William’s work at www.wtad.co.uk
