Winner of the Christchurch "Breathe - The New Urban Village Project" competition

The Holloway Team was selected as the winners of New Zealand's international "Breathe - The New Urban Village Project" design competition. The team is led by Holloway Builders from Christchurch, NZ in partnership with architecture firm Anselmi Attiani Associated Architects and Cresco engineers, both from Italy. Building and Construction Minister, Hon. Maurice Williamson made the official announcement on Oct. 22 at an event in the transitional Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch.

According to the judges, all the competition finalists had high-caliber projects. However, they chose the winning entry for being well-designed, sustainable, affordable, and structurally innovative with its earthquake-resistant technology.

A virtual tour of the winning design for Breathe - New Urban Village design competition.

The Holloway team will begin the final design phase. Construction of the recovery project is expected to start in mid-2014.

Keep reading to learn more.

Text from Anselmi Attiani's vision of the project, courtesy Breathe - The New Urban Village project:

"Our main premise is to create an urban village, a complex that encourages residents not only to make it their permanent home but to embrace the idea of forging a cohesive and family-like community.

The initial concept for our project grew out of considerations regarding two fundamental aspects of urban living: the public dimension and the private dimension. The spatial design of residential developments, where human relations are paramount, must strive to accurately render this existential duality"

"The design is concerned with encouraging residents’ ability to see themselves as involved in the long term in a proposal for living, a place where the spirit of community and the values inherent in community living prevail.

Workshops, professional studios, small offices, a health centre, an early childhood centre, shops and common areas are included in the residential development, reflecting the dual nature of public life and civic relations on one hand, and a more private family-centric life on the other."

"Living areas in the apartments are located on the street side to take advantage of the western sun; the bedrooms generally face the east. All apartments have generous-sized terraces with views over the city centre; private gardens make for pleasant living in the terraces and investing in them more attractive.

The use of the new cutting edge technology ARMIDILLO™ and SEISMAT™ for the buildings foundation along with, traditional and sustainable construction materials, including locally sourced wood, and energy saving solutions also make the development very appealing to prospective buyers. This small residential development is a microcosm of urban life designed to represent and inspire the macrocosm of the city itself."

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Images courtesy of Breathe - The New Urban Village Project