Originally asked to provide heritage advice, Origin Consultants Ltd was

subsequently engaged to design a complex of office spaces on a steep

site in the center of Arrowtown. The section is located in a District Plan

zone with a number of protected features, restrictions and limitations.

The site backs onto Arrow Lane, behind the Bendix Stables Restaurant,

and forms the backdrop for one of Arrowtown’s key views; across

Buckingham Green, as seen from Buckingham Street.

Origin Consultants Ltd has put together a proposal that aims to respond

to the site’s context and topography, in a way that we feel is sensitive

to its prominent location. The approach was to design a “collection” of

buildings, each slightly different in size, form & character, assembled on

the hillside in a manner that provides visual interest & variety, in a slightly

understated but cohesive manner. Whilst the proposal is not intended to

make a statement, we feel strongly that it shouldn’t be subsumed into its

surroundings to the point of disappearing.

Whilst every care has been taken to put together a design that remains

in-keeping with the picturesque nature and archetypal values of

Arrowtown, it has also been important to consider the financial viability

of the project. The proposal has been envisioned as a series of office

units, which will help provide for the increasing demand for commercial

spaces in Arrowtown. The site is well-located for a development of this

nature, being only a stone’s throw from Buckingham Street and falling

within the Town Centre Transition Overlay Zone.

Origin was responsible for the design and co-ordination of the design

team. During the documentation of the project went through a