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2019, Christchurch

This 5 level building contains ground floor + mezzanine retail in the form of a Porsche Showroom. The ‘glass box’ at the eastern end of the site provides a double-height cafe tenancy. Level 1 contains a car park for the buildings’ tenants. Above are 3 large, flexible, highly serviced office spaces. These are fully glazed along the street edges, offering extensive views over Tuam and Antigua Streets. A curved, perforated aluminium screen provides both solar control and privacy to these levels. The architecture is conceived as a confident urban gesture, reinforcing the location of such a significant corner at the end of several prominent view shafts.

Photography credit: Stephen Goodenough  

+MAP Architects
Canterbury

About the
Professional

We create modern architecture that seeks to excite, lift the spirits, and create a sense of place. +MAP is a design-led studio, formed in Christchurch in 2001. The practice is a partnership between Huia Reriti and Simon Elvidge, and operates with an average of 15 to 20 staff.

We enjoy the continuity of involvement from Kerry Mason, founding partner of +MAP. We work on a broad range of projects across varied typologies, scale, and diverse locations.

The Team

Huia and Simon are supported by a core team of architectural talent consisting of Registered Architects, Graduate Architects and Architectural Technicians. The practice has grown year on year and enjoys a diverse portfolio of work; currently with 17 design staff allowing the necessary resources to continue to perform and engage with new projects.

Philosophy

We strive for creative, innovative, appropriate Architecture. We believe buildings have the ability to evoke imagery beyond the functional requirements and speak of the people, place and time that they engage with. A juxtaposition of intuitive and analytical design approaches informs a response that is regionally focused, contextual and functional.

Sustainability

We seek for each project to become a positive legacy for the owner, and for current and future generations. Sustainability and energy efficiency are core values of +MAP Architects. We take an integrated design approach, with a high level of collaboration between the client and consultant team, to ensure each project is sympathetic to environmental and programmatic requirements. The future flexibility and adaptability of each project is carefully considered.

Innovation

We approach each project as an individual challenge, with unique opportunities and constraints. A high level of collaboration with the client and consultant team informs an innovative and unique response. We consider these issues to be more important than working in a particular style and hope that each project will be an original interpretation of the client, site, brief and budget.

Collectively the Principals bring an impressive blend of design focus and detail experience to each project regardless of size and stature.

At ArchiPro we recognise and acknowledge the existing, original and ancient connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the lands and waterways across the Australian continent. We pay our respects to the elders past and present. We commit to working together to build a prosperous and inclusive Australia.