Fendalton Shops

Located at a busy intersection on the key approach to the city from the airport, the previous suburban shop buildings on the site suffered severe damage in the Canterbury earthquakes and were subsequently demolished. The project brief evolved into four tenancies, one with a mezzanine level space. The building features generous ceiling heights, double height voids, and a series of detailed shopfronts, canopies, and considered material selections. The new shops are placed directly against the street intersection to engage directly with the footpath edge and retain the historic built enclosure at this streetcorner.

Projecting pop-out windows, detailed in timber and glass, display shop activity and provide articulation along the footpath edge. Fabric and timber canopies define entries, and break down the building into a more finely grained texture and rhythm. At the street corner a more robust language reflects the vehicular nature of the intersection, with full height faceted shopfront glazing, and a high level faceted lantern window above the solid corner canopy roof. Above the shopfront, a ribbon of copper cladding provides both long-term low maintenance and a material that will age gracefully over time. Solid rendered ground floor walls book-end the shopfront as a strong visual backdrop for the lighter, more open nature of the glazed shopfrontages.