Prestigious design award for Blueprint firms   4 Dec 2014

4 December 2014

Prestigious design award for Blueprint firms

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has congratulated members of the consortium that developed the Blueprint for central Christchurch on receiving a prestigious international honour.

The consortium’s core team of Warren and Mahoney, Boffa Miskell, Woods Bagot, RCP, Populous and Sheppard & Rout Architects, has been named a joint winner of the World Architecture News (WAN) Urban Design Award, part of the world’s largest architectural awards programme.

“These firms worked for the Government’s Christchurch Central Development Unit in producing a Blueprint as part of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan within a demanding timeframe of only 100 days,” Mr Brownlee says.

The judges said they were: “blown away by the scale of the proposed framework for central Christchurch.

“The Blueprint provided a strong, innovative and legible response to the urban issues facing the city and its rebuild.

“The containment of the core within a 'Frame' in particular has been recognised as one of the more significant aspects of the Blueprint Consortium. When aligned with a strong focus on the Avon River, the expectation is for a city which combines the best of urban renewal principles whilst retaining the uniqueness of Christchurch.”

Mr Brownlee says the award is a deserved recognition of the work done by the firms in helping produce a world-class plan for the future of central Christchurch.

“This is a great credit to those who worked to produce a fantastic vision for the city – a vision we are now beginning to see realised.

“It is also an endorsement by leading international design experts of the direction the city is heading in. The excitement now is in seeing the Blueprint coming to fruition, with a mixture of new public facilities, private development and great new public spaces.”

Don Miskell, who was part of the consortium’s core team and now works for the Christchurch Central Development Unit, says it is gratifying to have international recognition of the work done by the firms involved in the Blueprint.

“Our team took Christchurch City Council’s ‘Share an Idea’ public consultation process seriously to deliver a greener, more pedestrian friendly, lighter, more sustainable and safer city, which I’m confident we’ll all be proud of for many generations to come,” Mr Miskell says.

More details of the awards can be seen at:
http://backstage.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=25096&q=urban%20design

The Blueprint and full Christchurch Central Recovery Plan can be viewed atwww.ccdu.govt.nz.

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