New Regent Street, Christchurch

New Regent Street was the only remaining heritage streetscape in Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquake. The owners and tenants decided to work together to restore the buildings, built in Spanish Mission Revival style and with Historic Place Category 1 status.

The Naylor Love Canterbury team was awarded the contract for bringing the buildings up to code while maintaining their heritage on the basis of its personnel and experience. The complex rebuild on 39 titles involved 22 owners and four insurance companies – good communication was paramount.

As part of the strengthening work we installed structural steel frames in the shop fronts, built new reinforced concrete walls, laid a new continuous concrete raft foundation, and tied the brickwork to the new structure, bringing the building up to 69% of new building code.

A spokesperson for the client said they were delighted with the outcome and with Naylor Love’s service. He recognised that the team had delivered a complex build well, were approachable, and had dealt with concerns in a timely manner.

Heritage buildings are particularly precious in Christchurch, and our team were proud to have preserved New Regent Street, now a busy thoroughfare with the tram rumbling through and tourists and locals alike enjoying restaurants, cafés and shops.