136 Moorhouse Ave

Located overlooking the proposed Metro Sports Facility at the Western end of Moorhouse Ave, the brief called for a new commercial development with a mix of bulk retail, office space and hospitality. The site is arranged in line with the current CCC development overlay plan setting the building back from the street with parking in front. In doing so the project needed to reconnect the engagement with the street that is lost through this planning requirement. Located on a major transport route on the fringe of the CBD, connection to the building is primarily experienced while driving. Our design approach was to generate the building as a billboard that shifts dynamically as you drive East or West along Moorhouse Ave. The building is cast as collection of characters and references to Christchurch, amongst others the cast includes the striped façade of Antigua Boat Sheds and the zigzag verandah of the Paul Pascoes now lost Christchurch Domestic Airport Terminal. Demolition of the existing buildings on site revealed an old archived sign, the Farmers, as the sign would be archived again between our new building and the neighbours existing shed, it should to be translated into the design of the façade of the new building. An abstract machine was created to manipulate the vertical fins and gloss/matt panels of the façade through Binary and Morse code to give the impression of a random fin and façade pattern, allowing the ‘Farmers’ sign to be coded within the new façade. Functionally the ground floor consists of a café at the entrance corner, which opens to dining under the faceted mirror stainless soffit of the floor above. The remainder of the ground floor consists of retail and office space. A dramatic foyer space flooded with natural light take you to the first floor offices.