This is a commercial complex for accommodating boutiques, cafes and restaurants, on a site located across from the Christchurch Cathedral, which had been half-destroyed by Christchurch earthquake in 2011. The client requested that we integrate within the design concept, an image of Canterbury’s braided rivers flowing close to the centre of Christchurch. The braided rivers are known for tracing different complex patterns each season. Instead of applying the patterns superficially, this concept tried to integrate these organic patterns within the design of the timber structure. Nine types of glulams using only two-dimensional bending techniques, which could be produced locally were defined. Thirty-eight column units were then created by grouping the original nine glulam types in various combinations.
