The ultimate pocket guide to a rebuilding city

15 Mar 2023

Here is a great gift for a loved one or family member who is interested in architecture! Massey University Press, with the help of Resene, have released an expanded second version of Ōtautahi Christchurch Architecture: A Walking Guide, and it does not disappoint.

Well-known architecture writer, John Walsh, showcases 79 buildings along six central city walks, celebrating remarkable new designs that have risen from the rubble, and Christchurch’s efforts and optimism of its fine architectural future.

“Although many buildings in the central city had been destroyed in the quakes, or demolished after them, a number of important buildings had survived sufficiently intact to be saved and restored,” John says. “New buildings are starting to fill the gaps, which will take a long time, but there is something optimistic about a city in the throes of becoming.”

The guide covers the area bordered by the ‘Four Avenues’ - Bealey, Fitzgerald, Moorhouse and Deans - as well as the important architectural site that is the Ilam campus of the University of Canterbury, shot by one of New Zealand's best architectural photographers, Patrick Reynolds.

Ōtautahi Christchurch Architecture: A Walking Guide.

Commending 150 years of Christchurch architecture, we see some outstanding examples of designs and styles by the city’s most renowned experts. The book shows that the 2010/11 earthquakes did not destroy all of the fine body of heritage buildings, as well as striking new buildings that now rise from the empty lots. 

Thanks to its topography and grid plan, Ōtautahi Christchurch is comfortable to walk around, and in just a couple of hours, with this guide in hand, you can stop by buildings from the city’s most significant architects. 

Christchurch cares about its architectural future and has found many reasons to stay optimistic. Walsh and Reynolds’s guide is the perfect pocket companion for architects, visitors to Christchurch and locals wanting to know more about their city.

Purchase your copy online: www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/otautahi-christchurch-architecture-revised-edition/

Published: 15 Mar 2023