Architects defend ‘dull’ new city designs

DEAN KOZANIC/Fairfax NZ

WIDESPREAD DEMOLITION: There's no urban context. It's hard to design a building on an empty site in a largely demolished street. The Forte Health building on Kilmore St.

Widespread demolition, beefed up structural requirements and strict planning rules have dictated how new Christchurch buildings look, says a leading local architect.

Designs for new Christchurch buildings often attract a negative reaction, with many complaining they are unimaginative glass boxes.

Canterbury chairman of the New Zealand Institute of Architects David Hill said it was not a surprising response.

"Change is easier to handle when it's small and gradual, but of course the change to the fabric of our city has been big and sudden."

New structural codes, the loss of hundreds of buildings and the new city plan all influence a building's final shape, he said.

"The changes since the earthquakes have been very dramatic. It has been very sudden and it will take people time to get used to it. It is a big change."

He said it was hard to design a building for an empty site in a largely demolished street.

"At this stage, some of these buildings are the first off the rank and you are building the first piece of a street. Instead of replacing a rotten tooth, you are building the first tooth.

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Architects defend 'dull' new city designs