Ron Seeto was born in Suva, Fiji in 1952 and now lives and works mainly in Auckland,New Zealand.  

He studied Architecture at the Auckland School of Architecture graduating B.Arch with Honours in 1976.  He has been principal of Murray Cockburn Partnership since 1981. 

MCP   operates offices in Auckland, Suva and Pacific Harbour Fiji. Core staff size in the Auckland office fluctuates between 3-5 driving established contract teams for larger projects. The office strikes a balance between straightforward and experimental work between large scale and small commissions. New work and alterations.

 Originating from the South Island, the partnership has been responsible for notable projects such as Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Holy Name Parish Church in Dunedin,a series of Award winning taverns from Dunedin through to Oamaru,resort projects in Fiji and the Pacific including the Denarau Island Golf and Racquet Club, Shotover Fiji and Castaway Island Resort. 

An Architectural range spanning from the mountains to the beaches. 

Ron Seeto is principal of MCP Auckland.  Local projects include a Buddhist Temple, a Sikh Temple, a toilet & classroom block for St Michaels Primary School, a school hall,several commercial industrial developments and lifestyle residential properties throughout the upper North Island from Hawkes Bay to Leigh.

 Architectural Philosophy:

Ron Seeto lives and works from 2 houses separated from each other by a shallow pond at the edge of a courtyard, which he designed onto a typical new 800m2 property.  A Pink House and a Red House, with his wife Sharon, their 2 daughters Ruby & Noon, & Ron's teenage son Joss.

This fortunate arrangement has provided  opportunities to practise,refine and investigate the following beliefs:

 •Architecture can give a  sense of place.  Coexistence of work and family life. Appropriate design produces a “nest” accommodating 3 generations within a family and the benefits deriving from this. Quality of life.

 •Architecture can be gentle. Creating an architecture that works and is pleasing. 

•Architecture  can be reassuring. Celebrating the art of living means that everyday objects can be placed alongside “real” artwork.

 •Architecture can be  convivial. Entertaining is FUN and we are passionate cooks. 

•Architecture can  set an example.The ability to demonstrate HOW to deal with “in between spaces” Demarcation between buildings can be more than just a fence following the legal boundary line. Transition between inside and outside can be seamless or abrupt.We are our own guinea pigs. We live and work in our own designs.

 •Architecture can be a lifestyle,a process, a continuum. Rather than  frozen  in time it can be implemented to suit resources and accommodate needs of a growing family or office.

 • Architecture can be eclectic and hybrid. It’s OK to mix traditional aesthetics with modern technology and materials. We have a particular interest in enduring embellishments,collaborating with artists,sculptors and craftspeople.

 •Architecture can be contradictory ,contrasting and  comfortable.Like life it is Yin and Yang. Our design style  is restrained with flashes of opulence(memories of a Roman Catholic upbringing) .  Minimalism can be plush too. 

 Architectural signature:

Recognisable elements recurring in our work include the use of;

• water(reflection ponds and swimming pools),

•slatted timber/metal (influences of a tropical island background),

•fireplaces with freestanding chimneys(becoming more numerous and massive), •sculptural staircases(we have done them skewed,straight,spiral,serpentine-),

•narrow light slots carved into roof and/ or wall planes(“sundials”),

•double width front entrance doors,usually pivoted, we do them double height as well,

•herculean timber posts and beams as a foil to skeletal steelwork,

•natural polish concrete floors(the new stone) and balustrading(patinaed by use).

 Architectural approach:

We are all different so why should our buildings be all the same? Together, with clients we look for the essence of the individual project and the site so the design process becomes an inspiring adventure of discovery.  We do this by thoroughly researching each client’s needs, wants and style, from which we create a unique solution.  This is carefully detailed and cost-controlled resulting in a personal statement that can be enjoyed  forever.(We get frequently asked by succeeding owners  of our buildings to re-tailor them for their needs.) Our client’s success is ours too.

We are not preoccupied with technical innovation and are usually content with using a simpler vocabulary and a few chosen  materials. Technology is a means to architectural ends. Whilst the office is fully CAD operational we still make extensive use of manual perspectives(OK we cheat and computer generate first to get the best number of views then draw over) and nearly always 3 dimensional cardboard cutout models to better communicate, sometimes to bewitch the onlooker. The architectural journey  of today is still a Modern romance for us. Teamwork and Trust essential.

We use SURPRISE and a systematic unveiling of architectural spaces, the cunning placement of walls and openings to choreograph an architectural striptease. 

We strive to create moments of beauty, inspiration, magic, sorcery, enchantment, serenity, mystery, silence, privacy, astonishment...and make them ACHIEVABLE.

 Architectural goals

• to do a big Queen St building.

• master planning the next mega lifestyle living working environment.

• to do another hotel.

• special little projects demanding careful planning, efficient servicing, sensible.

   flexible organisation and fastidious attention to detail.