The ultimate pocket guide to a rebuilding city

10 Mar 2023

Almost two years after the highly regarded original, Massey University Press, with the help of Resene, have released an expanded second version, Ōtautahi Christchurch Architecture: A Walking Guide, and it does not disappoint.

Well-known architecture writer, and author of the urban guide series, John Walsh, showcases 79 buildings along six central city walks, celebrating remarkable new designs that have risen from the rubble, and Christchurch’s efforts and optimism of its fine architectural future.

At first, John thought he might struggle to fill a book on the matter following the Christchurch earthquakes, but it soon became clear there was much growth and progress to write about. John says that “although many buildings in the central city had been destroyed in the quakes, or demolished after them, a number of important buildings had survived sufficiently intact to be saved and restored. New buildings are starting to fill the gaps, which will take a long time, but there is something optimistic about a city in the throes of becoming.”

One of New Zealand's best architectural photographers, Patrick Reynolds, shares an amazing perspective of the angles, history and skyline, capturing stunning imagery of the city’s structures.

The guide covers the area bordered by the ‘Four Avenues’ — Bealey, Fitzgerald, Moorhouse and Deans — as well as the important architectural site that is the Ilam campus of the University of Canterbury. You will see both historical renewal and new age design on this trail of architectural discovery.

Massey University Press say that the book shows how “Gothic Revival, the ‘house style’ of the city’s Anglican establishment, and the Modernist architecture of the 1950s to 1970s drove the city’s architecture dynamism. It covers in detail two of this country’s strongest architectural sites: the Arts Centre complex and the buildings at Christ’s College. Also included are Modernist buildings such as the Town Hall, CoCA Gallery and Sir Miles Warren’s former office, and new buildings such as the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre, Tūranga, Ravenscar House and the new convention centre, Te Pae.”

Commending 150 years of Christchurch architecture, we see some outstanding examples of designs and styles by the city’s most renowned experts. The book shows that the 2010/11 earthquakes did not destroy all of the fine body of heritage buildings, as well as striking new buildings that now rise from the empty lots. 

Thanks to its topography and grid plan, Ōtautahi Christchurch is comfortable to walk around, and in just a couple of hours, with this guide in hand, you can stop by buildings from the city’s most significant architects.

Christchurch cares about its architectural future and has found many reasons to stay optimistic. Walsh and Reynolds’s guide is the perfect pocket companion for architects, visitors to Christchurch and locals wanting to know more about their city.

Purchase your copy online: www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/otautahi-christchurch-architecture-revised-edition/ 

Published: 10 Mar 2023