Avon River Precinct, North and East Frame

Riverside transformation allows for greater public access and interaction

The Avon River Precinct / Te Papa Ōtākaro is the first of seventeen anchor projects in the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan to be taken through design completion and commencement of construction. The project includes repurposing the river frontage, new shared space streets and cycle network, large public open spaces, residential housing and the Margaret Mahy Family Playground.

The revitalised Avon River area sets a new benchmark for future public realm projects in the central city. Four themes resonate across the central city that also informed unique design outcomes for the site: a healthy place – a healthy river; a distinctive place – weaving cultures together; an accessible place – safe and easy movement, and a prosperous place – more activity for more people.

Through collaboration with CERA, Christchurch City Council and Ngai Tahu, and working alongside Landscape Design teams from Opus, BDP and LandLAB, our landscape architects helped deliver quality design outcomes to budget in a challenging, fast-paced and ever-changing environment.

Our role

Boffa Miskell and LandLAB were engaged by the Opus-led design team in September 2013 to provide project-wide design leadership services in collaboration with Opus and BDP.

The facts

Client	Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) as a Sub-consultant to Opus
Project team	John Potter Mark Brown Nik Kneale
Worked with	Opus BDP LandLAB
Project date	2013 - 2014