Description:

An abandoned commercial site on Christchurch’s historic High Street has been reimagined into a layered, light-filled flex-office hub that blends heritage and hospitality.

The design approach retained the bones of a quake-damaged retail building and paired it with a contemporary new structure, connected by a full-height atrium. This atrium reveals the scarred party wall as a central architectural gesture-preserved, framed, and made public.

The goal was to deliver a boutique hotel sensibility within a commercial workplace. Offices range from intimate two-person suites to multi-floor tenancies, all supported by shared lounges, meeting rooms, and a central members bar. A street-level café softens the interface with the city and invites activity into the space. The result is a civic workplace that privileges atmosphere and connection.

The project responds to post-pandemic shifts in how people work and what they expect from physical environments. Businesses today seek texture, flexibility, and meaning-not just square metres. This building delivers on those expectations with honest materials, natural light, spatial generosity, and thoughtful circulation. Transitions are handled with care; linen curtains, glazed thresholds, and varied ceiling heights shape a sense of movement and pause.

Functionally, the design solves complex challenges-structural integration, seismic strengthening, acoustic privacy, and accessibility-while maintaining visual clarity. Every intervention is legible. Heritage elements were preserved without pastiche. New elements speak with a complementary but distinct tone.

The project supports economic and social regeneration. It brings activity back to a long-dormant site, provides a home for diverse businesses, and contributes to the reactivation of the central city. Events, hospitality, and shared spaces foster engagement beyond tenancy.

The building now operates not only as a workspace, but as a quiet landmark-restorative, composed, and unmistakably local.