Design King Company (DKC) were among the four selected finalists for an International Competition to build essential housing in post earthquake Christchurch.

This essential housing proposal presents a vision for the city that puts the community and people of Christchurch first. It envisages a city of rich community and connections, a city of sustainable scale that is easy to move around by foot, by bike and by various means of public and private transport. A city that protects the integrity of the landscape areas envisaged along the Avon River and within the Urban Frame, and adds another layer of public spaces and connections.

With the benefit of history and the opportunity presented by the Christchurch Recovery Plan this plan reaches back to a sensibility where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, recalling space, material and simplicity of form that takes you back to eras before modernism so that we may connect with the timelessness and significance that lies behind the making of place and community. That speaks simultaneously to Christchurch’s rich history and to a vigorous and dynamic future.

“We have reached an interesting time when the drivers of sustainable cities are the same as the drivers for liveable cities…namely mixed use, connectivity, high quality public realms, local character and adaptability” – Professor Rob Adams in reference to transforming cities.

See Stage 2 of the International Competition.