Breathe Competition Wraps Up

The team from Walker Architecture and Design were runners up in the 2013 Christchurch Breathe competition for an inner city urban village.  The final announcement was made by the Minister of Building and Housing this week and featured a keynote speech by international judge Kevin McLeod.

Our design is conceived as an inner city village arranged around four community courts and two intersecting laneways reflecting the quintessentially Christchurch vernacular of quadrangles and grids set in a garden context.

“The Walker proposal was particularly strong on the sustainability theme giving good consideration of energy efficient design, stormwater management, biodiversity and productive gardens.”

Each court showcases a different sustainable living focus to complement a sustainable community.  The project features two ecology towers and a stormwater swale system.

The proposal allows a socially and environmentally successful village to flourish. The range of home types encourages a diverse income and occupation model to demonstrate successful integration of a mixed housing community supplemented with small commercial activities.

Our scheme offers a national (and potentially international) example of desirable city living that explores an environmentally sustainable response to the growing needs of an evolving city.

Although we will not get to build on this site our team is looking to the future.

The process has consolidated & equipped us with skills to encourage sustainable, community focussed, affordable housing solutions for the re-build of Christchurch.