Multi-Unit Home of the Year 2022: One Central by Architectus

While progress has been understandably gradual, the redevelopment of Christchurch after the 2011 earthquakes is a success story in the making — and this urban community of terraced townhouses and apartments, part of a wider, master-planned ‘superblock’ near the city centre, is a case in point. 

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Judges’ Citation:

A great response to the urban context, which acknowledges the grittiness of the inner city yet responds with beauty in proportions and materiality. Particularly impressive for the judges was its master-planning and the creation of internal courtyards, giving the opportunity for the occupants to create a community, while the other sides of the buildings provide private outdoor spaces. A variety of forms play out, offering human scale and the feel of a place anyone would be happy to live in. 

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