After the initial Christchurch earthquake struck on 4th September 2010,
Westpac urgently needed to relocate their 500+ employees out of the 13
floors of the Canterbury Centre building that was severely affected by
the event and subsequent aftershocks.
Two buildings at Show Place in Addington were quickly secured, and
Context assisted Westpac to fully occupy the tenancies in a matter of
weeks.
It soon became obvious that it would be a few years rather than months
before the city centre could be re-occupied. Westpac engaged Context to
design and manage a streamlined and cost effective fitout to enable them
to resume ‘business as usual’.
The construction of all 6 floors was to be staged and completed after
hours, as the buildings were at full capacity with no office space
available in the city to move into while the works were underway.
Context’s role was both Architect and Project manager; our involvement
spanned from taking the initial brief through to the selection and
ordering of furniture.
The fitout included 2 reception areas, staff breakout facilities,
meeting rooms and quiet rooms, utility spaces and a business lounge with
adjoining boardroom. Each floor was given its own identity with feature
colours and imagery depicting a particular Canterbury landscape. Our
main focus was to create an uplifting and inspiring work space
reflecting a positive outlook for the future of Christchurch.
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