We create inspiring spaces for everyday people using sustainable resources that don’t cost the planet.

Featured Project

The cloud

Barely seen from the outside, the cloud is a discreet extension that adds functionality to a busy family home.

Featured Project

Strawlines

Aotearoa New Zealand’s most pressing issues are the climate emergency and a chronic housing crisis. How can we make affordable, homegrown, zero-carbon homes the new norm?

Strawlines proposes using carbon sequestering prefabricated strawbale structural insulated panels (SSIPs) as the building blocks for creating zero carbon compact homes..

Winner of the INTBAU Architecture Challenge.

Strawlines is a collaboration between @finelinearchitecturenz and Project Pātūtū, a research project led by Min Hall at Unitec School of Architecture.

Featured Project

18a

We are currently working on the design redevelopment of the iconic 18a Project Space (@18a_vanguard), a dynamic multi-disciplinary art gallery and artist residence space.

An exciting and highly collaborative project to revamp this buzzing hub of wild creativity.


our vision

A (re)generation of architecture where sustainable, liveable and well-designed spaces are accessible to all and act as real solutions for a zero-carbon future.


Fineline + Jess & Scott

If you're contemplating whether to involve an architect in your renovation project, we believe the answer is quite clear. But don't just take our word for it! Jess and Scott from Scott Brown Carpentry explain why they chose to collaborate with us and discuss the value of good design in their own renovation project.

Our Values

Do No Harm

We use creative thinking and innovation to reduce our impact on the environment.

Connect to Place

We design with local ecosystems, knowledge and materials, creating architecture that connects people and the land.

Rethink Beauty

We challenge traditional notions of beauty, embracing small and smart design solutions. Less (carbon) is more (joy).

The Right Impact

We are committed to making a positive impact on the ecological, social, and economic fabrics of the places we work in.

Collaborative Culture

We work with a diverse range of industries and educational entities to collectively shape our living environments.

WHO we are

Led by registered architects Magdalena Garbarczyk and Mathew Hay, Fineline is a Nelson-based architecture practice working across Aotearoa. We design with passion and rigour to create spaces that are beautiful, meaningful, healthy, and light on their environment.