One of the first commercial buildings constructed after the Canterbury earthquakes, this project demonstrates a commitment by a building owner to creating a vibrant and rich inner city development in a manner that goes beyond ordinary expectations. The building has been complexly planned to account for a sharp corner site, adjacent existing structures, and an outdoor laneway which provides shelter from Christchurch’s easterly wind. The resulting exterior is both jazzy and severe, soft and hard, curved and angular, black and brightly coloured. A knife-sharp corner prow dominates the High Street intersection, activating a neighbourhood largely demolished after the earthquakes.