17 May 2016

Former Hotel Site Becomes A Development with A Dynamic Purpose

The installation of a frameless glass façade is a noteworthy milestone in the construction of Grand Central, a mixed-use development designed by Warren and Mahoney architects that occupies the site of the former Hotel Grand Chancellor in Christchurch. With premium office accommodation, retail stores, restaurants and cafés, as well as 66 car parks, this seven-storey structure will play a leading role in the revitalisation of this sector of Christchurch.

Grand Central lies at the heart of the CBD and is located just a short distance from the library, Cathedral Square and the Justice and Emergency Precinct. With a footprint of 3000 square metres, the project is substantial, so the translucency of the façade that overlooks Cashel Street serves to offset its mass as well as providing a street-friendly face where pedestrians and office workers enjoy visual connection.

Project architect David Hargreaves says the 55-metre wide glass curtain wall was divided into a series of bays to break up its form and lend a human-scale to the crisp, clean design palette. A succession of polished stainless-steel blades extends down from the bays giving further rhythm to the façade and helping to modulate its transparent expanse. Above the first five storeys is a seven-metre deep paved and planted terrace. “This creates a distinct set-back and reduces the scale of the building facing Cashel Street,” says David. It also provides a visual amenity for the two floors of office space which overlook the landscaped greenery.

Low-E double-glazing that has been used to improve the energy efficiency of the building arrived on site as unitised curtain wall panels.These panels were initially craned to the floor above where they were to be installed and then lowered into position using floor-mounted cranes with extension legs and suction pads. They are hung from floor to floor (over 3.85 metres) and are bolted to steel plates cast into the perimeter of the concrete floor slabs.

The main office and public entrance to Grand Central is located on Cashel Street where a suspended continuous canopy separates the office floors and car park level from the ground-floor retail and provides shelter to pedestrians. The development incorporates the existing Tattersalls Lane, an important right of way which joins Cashel and Hereford streets. A five-storey granite ‘totem’ forms a marker at the SE corner of the building at the entrance to the lane. The first two storeys of the totem take the form of a free-standing column while the top three storeys of are incorporated into the façade.

The ground level of the new building will be set back the entire length of the laneway to form a sheltered overhang envisioned as a covered area with seating that spills into the space. The lane itself will be cobbled in granite. “With the re-shaping of Tattersalls Lane, we wanted to create a lively, active space aligned with this pedestrian zone,” explains David. This thinking is in line with that of CERA and the Christchurch City Council to re-shape Christchurch as a city of interconnected courtyards linked by laneways as safe and convenient pedestrian corridors.

The building is due for completion in September this year when it will be officially opened by Gerry Brownlee.

Principal of Warren and Mahoney, Ralph Roberts, who was design director on the $75-million project, says the recently installed glass curtain wall sets up a relationship between the building’s occupants and those passing by which enhances the dynamism of the evolving city. “It’s exciting to see Grand Central emerging from the ground as per our original vision. When the building is complete, it will make a positive contribution to the streetscape, to the working lives of its occupants and to the wider community.”

ENDS

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