211 High Street - WIEHAG Timber Construction

New Zealand

211 High Street
Christchurch

Located in a prime spot in Christchurch’s business district, 211 High Street is set to become a new architectural landmark — a striking office and retail building in timber construction.

The building’s defining feature is its striking timber structure — seamlessly integrated into a sweeping glass façade that highlights the expressive potential of modern engineered wood. As a specialist partner in timber construction, WIEHAG is proud to contribute to this forward-thinking, sustainable landmark.

Design Approach

Timber engineering as a design statement

The vision for 211 High Street was developed by Ignite Architects, a New Zealand-based studio headquartered in Christchurch. Their approach blends sustainable architecture with strong urban presence — giving the project a distinctive identity.
Szymon Gozdzikowski, Director at Ignite Architects, explains:

“The use of European spruce glulam timber provided a valuable design opportunity, which we chose to showcase on the building’s main elevation. The predominantly glass façade was designed to reveal the internal structure, while the curved glass corner further emphasises the capabilities of the mass timber construction and celebrates the building’s distinctive location at the junction of six streets. The beautiful aesthetics of the exposed glulam, both internally and externally, are matched by its excellent structural and seismic performance.”

Sustainability

Climate Protection at its best

This project sets new standards in climate-friendly construction: by using mass timber structures, embodied CO₂ emissions are reduced by around 80% compared to conventional methods. It also aims to achieve top environmental certifications, including Green Star 5/6 and NABERS 5.

The outstanding sustainability performance is further enhanced through green interior spaces, passive ventilation, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient building services. Once completed, the building will rank among the most climate-smart mixed-use developments in Christchurch.

Task

Turning Vision into Structural Excellence

Christchurch lies in a seismically active region, which requires buildings to meet the highest standards of earthquake safety. Accordingly, 211 High Street was designed to withstand significant seismic loads. The structure incorporates specially developed connections and components that feature low damping and high elastic recovery—allowing the building to safely absorb seismic movements while maintaining stability.

WIEHAG was responsible for engineering support, production, and delivery of the glulam timber components for the exposed structural system. At the core of the building is a robust yet climate-conscious timber frame, which supports the striking curved façade and lends visual clarity to the open interior spaces.

The visible structure comprises 114 glulam columns (340 glulam elements in total), reaching heights of up to eight metres. Along the building’s outer edge, double-height columns create a powerful architectural rhythm, while the inner 3.5-metre columns feature an innovative connection system developed specifically for this project. This combination ensures both seismic resilience and architectural refinement in one integrated solution.