A contemporary counterpoint on Christchurch’s historic New Regent Street

Designed by Wilkie + Bruce Architects, the three-storey Armagh Street and New Regent Street development brings together a ground-floor retail tenancy and private apartment. Its scale, proportions and material expression have been carefully calibrated to sit alongside the ornate Spanish Mission architecture of New Regent Street while establishing a distinct identity of its own.

Central to this response is the building’s VMZINC Pigmento Brown roofing and façade, supplied by Wakefield Metals and installed by The Architectural Roofing Company. Applied through a combination of standing seam and flat lock systems, the zinc creates crisp lines across the building envelope, while its muted brown tone offers a considered transition between the contemporary form and the surrounding heritage fabric.

Unlike a painted finish, zinc develops a natural patina as it ages, creating subtle variations in colour and texture while strengthening its resistance to corrosion. This capacity to evolve over time makes the material particularly relevant within heritage settings, where buildings are understood not as static objects but as part of a streetscape that continues to change.

The project offers a measured example of how new commercial and residential architecture can contribute to a historic precinct. Rather than competing with its neighbours, the development uses proportion, materiality and restraint to create a contemporary addition that feels confidently of its time.

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