Bedford Development
wins two Awards

One Central’s Bedford Apartments & Terraces won both a Housing – Multi Unit award and a Planning and Urban Design award at this year’s Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA New Zealand Architecture Awards.

Recognising the best of New Zealand architecture for the year, this year’s awards programme was judged by four local architects across 13 categories and 26 projects. Convenor Sharon Jansen said: “This year, we saw many excellent entries in the Housing – Multi-Unit category, which is significant as our property market changes and adapts to new residential living models.”

Photography: © Sarah Rowlands

Jury citations:

Housing – Multi Unit award

“This diverse and dynamic housing precinct contains a range of typologies that are rigorously and tightly planned. Central pedestrian courtyards and lanes create a people-orientated neighbourhood that encourages integration and engagement between residents while carefully managing privacy. A modulation of form breaks the scale of this precinct, while brick and metal cladding materials are a nod to the industrial heritage of its site. Providing protection from Christchurch’s prevailing north-easterly, a taller apartment form is orientated to provide living and balcony spaces that soak up the afternoon sun. All units benefit from dual aspect, and necessary service areas and bike storage spaces are well considered and integrated.”

Planning and Urban Design award

“Bordered by two busy roads and an open public space, this housing precinct is an exemplary response to its context, providing people-focused inner-city living designed for young professionals and families. Car parking on a side lane allows for the arrangement of buildings around two central courtyards, which, alongside an urban pedestrian lane, create quiet pockets of shared space to encourage strong community engagement. At the precinct’s eastern perimeter, a taller apartment block provides a buffer from the impact of a busy main road, protection from prevailing wind and passive surveillance of internal public spaces from west-facing living and balcony areas. The rigorous and tight planning of these 6 Homestar rated one-, two- and three-bedroom units has resulted in a well-considered and resolved addition of 94 homes to the housing stock of Ōtautahi Christchurch.”