Hallensteins Building

The Hallensteins Building was constructed for Hallensteins Glassons to replace the former building which had been built in 1920.^[2] Hallensteins had operated from the site for over 100 years in various configurations.

The design had a large retail space on Cashel Street for a Hallensteins Brothers store.^[3] The building had a total of five floors. The fifth floor was double height, split with a large mezzanine space with stairwell access, functioning as an open sixth floor.

The project was undertaken by Leighs Construction in 2004 and completed in 2005. The company received the 2005 Canterbury Registered Master Builder of the Year award for the project.^[4]

Hallenstein Brothers occupied the retail store which spanned over the ground floor and the first floor. The rest of the tower (floors two to five) were exclusively occupied by Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti secondary school, with each floor specially fitted to meet the needs of the school.^[5][6] It could be accessed from an entrance on High Street.

The top floor was sometimes used as a venue, dubbed "Level 5", to host local DJ gigs and raves organised by the Unlimited community.^[7]

The building survived the 2010 Canterbury earthquake with minor damage and was reopened after inspection. In late September, the store opened to the public to give away free clothes to support the community. An estimated 1000 people gathered from midnight to claim the free goods, worth an estimated NZ$125,000.^[8][9]

On the day of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, some staff and students were present in and around the city campus.^[10] The Hallensteins Building was in the middle of the red zone area and blocked from public access. Its location was considered particularly dangerous as it was surrounded by volatile structures including the adjacent Westpac Canterbury Centre, the Fisher's Building, and in close proximity to the Hotel Grand Chancellor, as well as other badly damaged structures along the city mall.

The owners of the building chose to demolish it with no further details made public about its condition. At just six years old, it was one of the newer buildings to be demolished as a result of the earthquake. Demolition took place in June 2012.^[2][11][12]

In 2016, Hallensteins Brothers returned to the site in a new premises, which was built as part of the ANZ Centre complex.^[1]

The Hallensteins Building is an example of contemporary architecture. Built on a pointed site at the intersection of High Street and Cashel Street, the structure had a curve on the northern side, and a squarer shape on the southern side. The top of the building had a circular structure which reflected the curve, and two angled roofs over the rest of the building, which jutted out over the side, providing the upper floor and mezzanine space with shade.^[3]

The front sides of upper tower floors were largely covered in glass panels and metal joinery, with an opaque, greenish glass used to cover the structural parts of the frame. On the back of the building facing west, the tower was covered in grayish panels with no windows visible.

The interior of the upper floors, occupied by Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti, were designed for the requirements of the school. The main levels were open plan with folding partition walls, a kitchenette, side rooms, and desk space along the front windows.^[13][14] Three of the floors had a circular "nucleus" room in the middle of the space providing additional space for meeting rooms and lab work.^[15][16]