Renate Prince (born 1929) born Renate Prinz, is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

-trained architect who worked in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

in the early 1950s as part of the architecture and development group Structural Developments and then as a partner in Hobin Prince Architects. She is known for jointly designing, along with Dick Hobin, two experimental and modernist houses, the Taylor House at 16A Mays Road, Devonport, and the Bryant House at 81 Forrest Hill Road, Milford. As at 2023 both these houses can still be seen in Auckland. She subsequently moved to London in the 1950s and continued to work there as an architect and architectural engineer for over 40 years.

Early life

Prince was born to Lina Prinz in 1929 in Germany. In 1940 Prince emigrated to New Zealand with her mother and brother because of the Nazi regime and the resulting dangers to the family. Upon arrival in New Zealand the family used the name Prince and established themselves in Christchurch. Prince attended

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

from 1946 but in 1948 she was studying architecture at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

. While at the University of Auckland Prince met her professional and personal partner Dick Hobin as he was also studying architecture. During this time Prince also met

Frank Sargeson Frank Sargeson () (born Norris Frank Davey; 23 March 1903 – 1 March 1982) was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. Afte ...

and in 1951 began boarding at the army hut on his property. In doing so she joined an important hub of writers, architects and other cultural influencers.Francis, K. S., and Smith, G. (2010)
Experiments on Common Grounds: Four Auckland Houses by Richard Hobin 1949–54
Murphy C., Wake S.J., Turner D., McConchie G., and Rhodes D. (Eds). On the Edge: Proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Architectural Science Association (ANZASCA 2010). Unitec, Auckland.

Professional life

It was during this time that Prince was employed by the architectural firm Structural Developments helping to design two experimental and modernist houses – the Taylor House at 16A Mays Road, Devonport, and the Bryant House at 81 Forrest Hill Road, Milford. In July 1952 Prince left New Zealand for the United Kingdom, working as an architect in London again in partnership with Hobin. In the mid-1950s Prince enrolled at

Ulm School of Design The Ulm School of Design (german: Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm) was a college of design based in Ulm, Germany. It was founded in 1953 by Inge Aicher-Scholl, Otl Aicher and Max Bill, the latter being first rector of the school and a former stud ...

and subsequently graduated from that institution with a

Diplom-Ingenieur An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always requires a non- ...

. After graduating she continued to work in London undertaking engineering and architectural commissions and also taught at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

. In 1968 Prince took part in protests against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. During this time she designed kits and pontoons to be used for bridge building in Northern Vietnam. She also campaigned for British architects to boycott products produced by

Dow Chemicals The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastics ...

as a result of that company manufacturing the

napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated alu ...

used in the war.

Personal life

Prince lived in London and for over 40 years shared her life with Martin Birnstingl until his death in 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Renate 1929 births New Zealand women architects 20th-century New Zealand architects German architects German emigrants to New Zealand University of Auckland alumni Living people Alumni of the Ulm School of Design