We believe that good urban design enhances the public realm for the enjoyment of people to live, work, and play. Every project, regardless of scale, is considered an opportunity to create something amazing for owners, tenants, neighbours, community, council, mana whenua and our society. The opportunity to create buildings and the spaces between these buildings we approach like nature does where public spaces can be organic living environments informed by international global best-practice applied to the local context of people and place.
Co-living and co-working can come together as a flexible and dynamic mix of use and synergies within a circular economy model for a region to evolve and be transformative every minute of the day by moving forward from traditional and restrictive master planning.
Heritage and contemporary architecture can respect each other as we build a rich and diverse history of innovation and technology to inform, inspire and regenerate vibrant and accessible spaces. Contemporary architecture can juxtapose heritage architecture, to celebrate both.
Residential and commercial uses combined can bring life to public spaces to reflect the diversity of our people and places through enhanced human experiences utilizing our cross sector expertise and regenerative thinking process of change so we thrive not just survive.
This project is a mixed use development designed to be delivered to regenerate vibrancy in Tarbert Street business and community activity in the centre of the Alexandra Township.
The existing buildings are adaptive reuse for residential and commercial mixed use plus the creation of a multi functional space to provide social, cultural, environmental and economic benefit to local people plus the wider community of Central Otago for a strong identity of place.
This project is also close to the Township Clutha River Development at the end of Tarbert Street which is a complimentary development in conjunction with the same developer and architect which has gained Council support and funding to proceed.
Gary Todd was a team leader for the ADNZ Team that consisted of several multidisciplinary professionals who were involved in the Christchurch 48 Hour Design Challenge selected to meet and compete with other Design Teams of expertise from within New Zealand and Australia to use community feedback to create ideas for the rebuild of Christchurch and inform the Christchurch City Council Proposed District Plan.
Our key ideas were later adopted in terms of human scale and green design features recommended within the rebuild. The concept of green design and water landscape features in open public spaces was to link anchor projects promoted to regenerate the city centre that were given to other design teams.
Our recommendation was to restore as many existing heritage buildings where possible plus add contemporary green buildings or spaces in the gaps where buildings were required to be removed. The perimeter of Cathedral Square was recommended to be buildings all between 4 and 7 stories in height to provide a more cohesive human scale and reduce adverse effects.
The Christchurch Cathedral was recommended to be restored, strengthened and refurbished with resilient additions including the tower that recognise our courage and commitment to build back confidence and add another layer to our heritage and inspire the people of Christchurch.
The proposed Hereford Street building promoted a contemporary permeable gateway building with transparency to and from Hereford Street and Cathedral Square with gardens on walls and roof level appropriate to support the underlying theme that Christchurch remains a garden city.
Our submitted Master Plan proposed strategic urban development precincts within a framework of conceptual spatial plan with links to inform the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
This submission QLDC was intended to guide thinking for transport arterial routes, positioning of public spaces and civic amenities.
Our recommendation on the lakeview site was for mixed uses including high density housing and commercial activity. And not to be the preferred site of a convention centre, which was promoted for a Gorge Road site.
This Master Plan promotes precincts within the spatial framework for a cohesive and sustainable development to regenerate Queenstown for the community with people and place the focus of urban design.
The synergies of how residential and commercial activities can revitalise connected precincts with co-living and co-working environments is the way ahead.
The location of arterial route, laneways, proposed civic buildings and connections to the CBD, with scope for expansion, has been adopted in principle by QLDC.
This proposal was a finalist in the RFP Process for a convention centre in Queenstown that competed against many submissions from leading practices in New Zealand, that was considered by a QLDC sub-committee.
The QLDC sub-committee elected not to make this proposal available to QLDC councillors or the community for review and consideration prior to QLDC final decision making, on which RFP site should be explored.
The proposed convention centre explored by QLDC with others on the lakeview site did not proceed and is considered even less desirable accessed by a gondola and located too far away from the township.
A better PPP financial model was promoted in our proposal, adjacent Gorge Road, the recreation reserve and CBD, that involved the local community and is the best ecological solution still available.
View a full video tour