The new office building for PGG Wrightson is located at the entrance to Christchurch International Airport. The building has two front elevations featuring a series of concrete columns, one facing Memorial Avenue and the other facing the carpark where most visitors and staff enter the building from.

This project is the refurbishment of a significant landmark heritage building – the Orange the Orange Coronation Hall on Auckland’s Newton Road – and a new mixed-use development on the same site, resulted from a design competition.

Born from a design build competition with Hawkins Construction as the contractor, the brief was to deliver a building of significant importance to both the Christchurch International Airport and the City of Christchurch, coupled with a technical brief that demanded the utmost of both the consultants and contractor alike.

This new office building has been designed to sit within the existing Showplace Office Park. The four-level building has been designed to accommodate two tenants on each floor to provide spaces for smaller companies (250-400 sqm.) within the office park.

Born as a design and build project, the brief was to deliver a new modern facility at the Napier Port. PMA prepared the design build specification, and recommended the project team to the Port of Napier, from which  PMA was successful in winning the design contract for the project.

The practical demands of a courthouse catering for users in several jurisdictions guided the building’s overall design – there are dedicated spaces and circulation routes for Justices of The Peace, Coroners, the Judiciary, Lawyers, Prisoners and Administrators, as well as open public spaces.

The standard range of elements, colours and textures developed by ASC Architects for the Bank has been applied in the large and very open space, with some enhanced architectural features to make the best of the key urban location.

The site had been occupied by McDonald’s for over 20 years, during which time it set up its staff training operation in the old Saint Patrick’s school building on Wellington Street. A key component of the brief for the new building was to integrate the old and new buildings.