The site was a large inner-city development site surrounded by small retail buildings located in the Napier Art Deco Heritage Zone. The completed building successfully expresses ‘big box retail’ while retaining the scale of the existing buildings and incorporating two historic façades. The articulated front and rear façade of the new Farmers Department Store sits comfortably alongside the adjacent heritage buildings, and a fritted glass cornice strip underlit at night provides a striking nocturnal display.