Leonard Hobbins

Contributor Profile

Leonard Hobbins dreams of lines: clean surf breaks and tidy drawing sets. Leonard grew up on the beach in Whiritoa, surfing, running, and painting like his Mum and Grandad. He discovered a love for architecture upon witnessing Salvador Dali’s egg crowned home and he hasn’t looked back since. He has worked on medium density housing in suburban Los Angeles California, and experimental earth building at La Ciudad Abierta in Chile. A member of the Earthbuilding Association of New Zealand, he is interested in how natural building materials can outperform conventional materials, while also offering an alternative to designers seeking to operate outside of supply chains that tie their practice to harmful labour conditions and environmental degradation in other countries. Leonard is a director of Groupwork, a small architecture cooperative where he has continued his personal practice seeking to deliver extraordinary design solutions in ordinary places and for ordinary people.