It was the region’s restored and re-purposed buildings that featured most strongly in this year’s Canterbury Architecture Awards, announced on 18 October, 2012.

The awards presentation was held in Christchurch’s new Civic Building, which itself was recognised with four of the 11 awards presented in the programme. The Awards’ jury led by Christchurch architect, Duval O’Neill, had high praises to sing for Athfield Architects’ work on the Civic Building project - a conversion of the former Chief Post Office into “a clear, well-connected and powerful building that is utterly fitting as the administrative centre of a new Christchurch”.

Other civic projects to impress judges were the Court Theatre by Fulton Ross Team Architects and Re:START by The Buchan Group - a temporary retail centre in the heart of Christchurch built from stacked shipping containers.

While the pool of commercial projects in this year’s programme was small, the judges were pleased to award Waipara’s Black Estate Winery designed by RTA Studio. “It’s a very sympathetic response - an elegantly simple building that refers to the rural sheds in the surrounding countryside and comfortably accommodates a cellar door, cafe and family residence”.

Four residential projects were awarded, including the modular Smart House and Glandovey Road House, both designed by Wilson & Hill Architects; an artful and large-scale house in Fendalton by Sheppard & Rout Architects and a coastal property in Redcliffs designed by MAP (2010).

A full summary of the 2012 Canterbury Architecture Award winners is below. For judges citations, click here.

Commercial Architecture

• Black Estate Winery, Waipara by RTA Studio

Housing

• House Glandovey Road, Fendalton by Wilson & Hill Architects Ltd
• Poynder Ave House, Fendalton by Sheppard & Rout Architects Ltd
• Redcliffs House by MAP (2012) Ltd
• Smart House by Wilson & Hill Architects Ltd

Interior Architecture

• Christchurch Civic Council Offices and Chambers by Athfield Architects Ltd

Planning and Urban Design

• Civic Boulevard, Christchurch by Athfield Architects Ltd
• Re: START by The Buchan Group

Public Architecture

• Christchurch Civic Building by Athfield Architects Ltd
• The Court Theatre by Fulton Ross Team Architects Ltd

Sustainable Architecture

• Christchurch Civic Building by Athfield Architects Ltd