Overview
Entrant:
Ruamoko Solutions
Category:
12. Mid-Rise Building Design Award (over 3 levels)
Photographed by:
Ruamoko Solutions
Key team members:
Architect: Ignite Architects
Structural Engineer: Ruamoko Solutions
Structural Peer Reviewer: PTL
Façade Engineer: DHC
Fire Engineer: MacDonald Barnett
Acoustic Engineer: AES
Contractor: Leighs Construction
211 High Street is a four-storey mass timber commercial building on a prime Christchurch CBD site, in the vibrant SALT district close to the new Te Kaha stadium. The building features three levels of office space above ground floor retail and hospitality, over a basement carpark.
Timber is the primary visual and structural feature, expressed through exposed European Spruce glulam beams and columns, CLT feature stairs, birch ply soffit linings, and white ash timber battens and decorative ply linings. Internally, the warmth and texture of exposed timber creates a striking contrast to the precision of the engineered structure, giving the building a richness and identity that sets it apart from conventional commercial construction.
The choice of timber was driven by a genuine commitment to sustainable, low-carbon construction. While Greenstar certification was not part of the original brief, the completed design achieved Greenstar 6 retrospectively, with timber a significant contributing factor.
211 High Street adopted an untreated European Spruce structure at a size and scale not previously seen in New Zealand. Rather than conventional chemical treatments, the project demonstrated that good weathering detailing, robust hydrophobic varnish, and insecticide and fungicide surface treatments are a viable alternative. This alternative supply also delivered detailing and manufacturing expertise, programme certainty, and cost advantages.
The project served as the pilot for an innovative column connector developed by Hilti in collaboration with Christchurch-based Holmes Solutions. The connector was adapted for joints where beams pass through columns, optimising beam depths and requiring project-specific verification testing. The upfront design investment paid off during construction, where columns could be lifted and dropped into place without temporary propping at a rate as fast as six minutes per column.
Structural floors used European Spruce CLT combined with a glulam frame, producing a building less than half the weight of an equivalent steel and concrete structure. Across multiple floors, this reduced foundation depth and thickness, delivering meaningful cost and carbon savings.
Seismic performance was addressed through Tectonus Resilient Slip Friction Devices in diagonal braces, creating a ductile, low-damage seismic-resisting system. These dampers dissipate earthquake energy while protecting the timber structure from significant damage, with the added benefit of self-centering the building after a seismic event. The project also successfully navigated fire protection of exposed timber, acoustic isolation, floor vibration, and moisture management during construction.
A core benefit of timber multi-storey construction was speed of erection onsite. A dedicated shop modeller coordinated both timber and steelwork subtrades, producing three drawing sets; for fabrication, off-site assembly, and site erection. Offsite pre-assembled structural elements were lifted directly from the truck into position, bypassing the lay-down area constraints common on central city sites. The result was an average whole floor erection time of just 14 days.
211 High Street is a landmark demonstration of what mass timber construction can achieve in New Zealand – technically innovative, structurally ambitious, and beautifully resolved. It sets a new benchmark for mid-rise timber buildings in a seismic context, proving that sustainability, speed, and architectural quality are not competing ambitions.