Ghosts of the Anthropocene

Join Dr Emily Newmarch, Sustainability Lead and Low Carbon Design Specialist at Warren and Mahoney, for an engaging lunchtime talk framing the major challenges to architectural practice and life in the time of the Anthropocene.

Emily is redefining what sustainable design leadership looks like in Aotearoa. In 2025 she was awarded the overall Supreme Award at the Wellington Property Council New Zealand People Awards in recognition of her extraordinary impact in translating PhD-level climate research into practical low-carbon design solutions across sectors ranging from health to aviation — selected as the standout achiever across all categories, and recipient also of the Young Achiever Award.

Ghost Forests is a photographic and video project that explores the ecological histories hidden within New Zealand’s architectural heritage. The work considers the relationship between buildings like the Wellington’s Old Government Buildings—one of the world’s largest surviving timber (Kauri) buildings—and the forests that supplied its construction material. The project proposes the idea of architecture as ecological heritage. Historic timber buildings are often discussed through the lenses of architecture, craftsmanship and preservation. Less frequently acknowledged are the forests that made them possible. Ghost Forests asks visitors to consider buildings as repositories of environmental memory. The exhibition is open for 2 weeks - see details here .

Part of the Aotearoa Festival of Architecture, an annual festival by Te Kāhui Whaihanga / The New Zealand Institute of Architects .

New Zealand Institute of Architects - Wellington Branch