Stranges and Glendenning

Stranges and Glendenning Hill Building was the first building to be built within Christchurch’s CBD red zone following the Canterbury earthquakes. The building is immensely strong; engineered to be an IL4 structure - 180% of the building code. A major desire of this keystone project was to increase permeability of the city block in an attempt to set a standard for the ‘new Christchurch.’ A new publically accessible laneway and courtyard connect Lichfield Street to High Street, enlivened by bars and restaurants opening out onto them. A large in-situ concrete ‘egg’ at the buildings’ centre holds the vertical circulation and utility areas on the building’s three floors while providing access to the upper floors. The site is an important acute triangular corner in the city fabric. The dramatic pointed corner with coloured class fins accentuate its role as a significant urban node while the curved glass at ground level creates a people friendly transition at street level. The stepping in and of this façade also relates to the proportions of the heritage buildings previously situated on Lichfield Street.