The New Zealand High Commission Compound is situated in the diplomatic area of Chanakyapuri, Delhi. The seven acre site had many indigenous tree species of the Delhi Ridge landscape. The Commission was designed in 1990, with a new colonial form of architecture. The compound has an official residence, chancery and four senior management houses. The client’s brief required a mixture of formal and informal areas. The design provides a public garden for entertaining and is formal in nature. The individual house gardens are informal. The semicircular main entry pergola, was done in red sandstone as it leads to the chancery on one side and the official residence on the other. The use of traditional materials, with a primarily evergreen planting scheme in a modern design, meets the specific needs of the diplomatic environment.