World Architecture News has honoured the Blueprint to Rebuild Christchurch with an Urban Design Award in the Future Projects sub-category, announced in London on 2 December.

Twelve architects and designers from five practices formed the Blueprint Consortium who worked intensively for 100 days to generate a framework for the reconstruction of Christchurch which was severely damaged by earthquakes in 2010/2011. The Consortium consists of Warren and Mahoney, Woods Bagot, RCP, Boffa Miskell and Sheppard & Rout Architects.

Commissioned by the Christchurch Central Development Unit on behalf of the Canterbury Earthquake Recover Authority (CERA), the Blueprint generated a ten-point action plan for development to not only restore the city centre but apply the best practice urban design principles to create a vibrant, contemporary city. These include:

• Completing parts of the city core as expediently as possible
• Repairing areas in most need of assistance
• Reusing existing building elements to provide continuity with the past
• Compressing expected development to the intensified city core
• Containing the city core to the east and south within new open space
• Establishing anchor projects as catalysts for development
• Supporting anchor projects with existing amenities
• Embracing Avon river as a development corridor, creating amenities and spaces on alongside it
• Encouraging people to work, play and live in city again

A panel of five international judges noted the sheer scale of the proposed framework and praised it for its “strong, innovative and legible response to urban issues.” The Blueprint “combines the best urban renewal principles whilst retaining the uniqueness of Christchurch,” said the jury.

“This establishes a community-informed spatial framework for locating anchor projects and revitalising a city in the face of natural disaster. The community participation component is very strong,” said Alan Pullman, jury member and founder of Studio One Eleven.

“It’s extremely encouraging that our vision for Christchurch has been recognised,” said Peter Marshall, managing director of Warren and Mahoney’s Christchurch studio. “We believe that the city that emerges will be better and more dynamic and yet, by retaining important elements of our built heritage, will still provide vital continuity with our city’s past.”

For more on the WAN Awards click here.