Bill Alington

William Hildebrand Alington (18 November 1929 – 24 February 2024) was a New Zealand modernist architect, whose work was awarded nationally, and recognised internationally.

Upon returning to the MoW after his graduation, Alington was assigned to the Hydro-Electricity department where he worked for a short, but influential, time under Chris Valenduuk.

Here Alington was responsible for designing the Bulls Water Tower (1956), and the Power House and Control Building for the Waipapa Dam (1956).

During this time he and his wife Margaret embarked on a tour of western Europe, fulfilling his desire to see firsthand the large medieval cathedrals, as well as key works of Modernist architecture including Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel and Unité d’Habitation in Marseille.

From 1957 to 1959, Alington completed a MArch degree at the University of Illinois’ School of Architecture at Urbana, in the United States, during which time he had occasion to meet with Mies van der Rohe.

While in the United States Alington took the opportunity to visit buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe.

Although this ‘super-practice’ was to win the only two NZIA national medals awarded in 1972 (Alington for the Upper Hutt Civic Centre, and Toomath for the Karori Teachers’ College), the firm proved to be short-lived, and in that same year splintered under the weight of too many personalities.