TE PAPA ŌTĀKARO

Birdseye view of Christchurch city centre with the bridge of remembrance and main shopping area

About

LandLAB provided urban design leadership for the $100m Avon River Precinct project - the signature project for the Christchurch rebuild. The ARP Terraces Precinct delivers transformational change to Christchurch’s urban morphology by redefining its city-edge riverfront as a continuous 2km pedestrian priority ‘shared use’ promenade within its iconic river-park corridor.

The project enhances access to the water and brings the spirit and ecology of the river (fluid) into a dialogue with the city (grid). The new promenade layers thicken the edge of the city to catalyse new opportunities for access and occupation. LandLAB led the design for the Terraces river edge precinct, which transforms Oxford Terrace from a conventional street into a shared-use zone. Prioritising pedestrian access, occupation and a new tram circuit.

The Terraces
The Terraces precinct redefines the relationship between the city and the river. Oxford Terraces location and orientation provide the opportunity to bring together the ‘flows’ of ecology, community and commerce into a new waterfront food and beverage destination.

Sculptural Structures
The terraces are constructed of a sculptural series of stone-clad seats and bleachers that provide access and occupation of the riverbank, where the geometries of the city (grid) and river (organic) overlap. The locations of these interventions enable a reciprocal relationship between the riverbanks and social occupation of the river. For a range of new recreational opportunities, from quiet contemplation to city celebrations.

The City Promenade
The City Promenade establishes a new, continuous and vibrant edge, which fundamentally redefines the relationship between river and city. The Promenade provides a focal point where the flows of the river, community and commerce come together. It reconfigures the river edge from its pre-earthquake condition as a conventional vehicle dominated streetscape to a pedestrian priority precinct with shared use for cyclists and public transport and limited/controlled access for private vehicles.