David Mitchell's son Julian described the house as "a complete railway station" since David's passing. "People have been coming through and constantly saying what a lovely man he was and how much love he had to give."
Celebrate Auckland architect David Mitchell is remembered by his son as an incredibly varied character, who "had a total lust for life and people".
David Mitchell died in North Shore Hospital on April 26 following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 77 years old.
A recipient of the NZIA gold medal in 2005, the highest honour bestowed by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Mitchell's work in the industry spanned 50 years.
Born in Auckland in 1941, he spent his youth in Morrinsville before graduating from Auckland University in the early 1960s.
As recently as a month ago, he was still teaching students at Auckland University's School of Architecture and Planning.
Outside of architecture, Mitchell's interests included music, writing and sailing.
Along with his partner, Julie Stout and son Julian Mitchell, he designed a host of award-winning buildings, including Tauranga Art Gallery, Te Uru gallery in Titirangi and the School of Music at Auckland University. They led New Zealand's first-ever contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014.
But Mitchell's had an array of talents, his son Julian said: "There was a passion for the outdoors also balanced by a very keen mind … [he was] a cultured man.
"[He had] an endless, kind of constant desire to keep on moving and keep on doing things."
The adventures began in Mitchell's 30s when he travelled to Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary and filmmaker Roger Donaldson, before they hopped aboard a yacht and sailed around Cape Horn.
In 1984, he released a book titled The Elegant Shed with artist Gillian Chaplin - a review of New Zealand's place in the world from an architectural standpoint.
It was turned into a six-part documentary series hosted by Mitchell and looked at the history of architecture in the country since 1945.
Following that, he spent seven years sailing around the world with his partner Julie Stout while simultaneously working on projects back home and in Hong Kong, where they moored for a time.
Urbis and Vogue Living contributing photographer Patrick Reynolds worked with Mitchell and described him as "fearless".
"There were tales of whales surfacing next to them, storms and avoiding pirates [during that trip]," Reynolds said.
"He and Jules took off on a little 11m yacht across the world, just when other people might be settling into careers."
Reynolds believed Mitchell was "the sharpest brain of his generation".
"What I remember about him was how insightful he could be, and concise," Reynolds said.
"It's a complicated field [architecture] but he could cut through with just one sentence unlike anyone else, and with a great deal of wit."
Reynolds gave the example of once being at a party and having trouble trying to put into words for another architect the misgivings he had with a particular body of work.
"David wasn't even in this conversation, he was in a conversation next to it.
"He just leant in, said two words, and then leant out again, completely summing up the sort of misgivings I was groping for."
The words were "conspicuous artiface".
"I've never forgotten those two words."
Aside from photographing their work, their paths crossed again, this time in a teaching capacity at Auckland University.
"I learnt so much teaching those papers [with David and Julie], possibly even more than the students.
"A mighty totara has indeed fallen."
A service will be held on Tuesday, May 1 at St Matthews-in-the-City, beginning at 2.30pm.