Encouraged by artist parents, Hayes spent his youth sketching and took on work experience with his architect grandfather, Henry Rushton, who specialised in English churches and cathedrals. Hayes remembers: “I would sit in his office and watch him sketch — the drawings were beautiful. He was my first influence.” After working for his grandfather, he studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

Travel further inspired Hayes. In America, he saw Frank Gehry’s early work, including the Crowsnest House in Venice Beach. In Russia, as a member of the European Association of Student Architects, he found himself stranded amidst military barricades during the tumultuous 1991 coup attempt. “The Moscow streets were blocked by T80 battle tanks; the train station and airport were shut. We couldn’t get out,” says Hayes. 

As a 1991 graduate, Hayes spent only one week at Jane Duncan Architects in London as a consequence of the hard-hitting recession. After working in television for some time, Hayes made his return to architecture by joining ORMS architecture + design ,where he met Richard Naish as a young graduate. Naish moved from London to New Zealand, where he founded RTA Studio and Hayes took up a senior role at ORMS. With a Kiwi-born wife, Hayes frequently holidayed in New Zealand, eventually making the move overseas with his family.

Hayes joined RTA Studio in 2004 and Ironbank on K Road was his first project, joining just after the concept design was approved by client. The project was recognised at the World Architecture Festival in 2009 and was Aotearoa’s first certified 5-Star As-Built Greenstar commercial building. Speaking on the project, Hayes said: “It also introduced me to the Friedlander family, who own Samson Corporation. Working alongside them for the best part of my career has been a pleasure – they are great investors in architecture.”

A highlight from his 20 years at RTA is witnessing the practice grow from eight employees to over 40, expanding into Havelock North and Wānaka. Hayes also mentored 20 in-house graduates working to receive their full-fledged registration. “That day is a huge deal – a huge achievement. I enjoy being involved with mentoring.”

Hayes is planning to take a three-month sabbatical to visit family in the UK and to sail the Croatian coast before returning to RTA. “Architecture is a vocation; it never stops and it’s impossible to get away from,” he says. “Every day and every job at RTA Studio is different. It never stales. That’s why I love it.”