Located in the popular holiday destination of Hanmer Springs, Hurunui District, Architecture Studio was commissioned to design a mixed use retail, hospitality and apartment development. Located on a high profile corner site on the main Road, careful consideration was undertaken the complement the existing alpine environment. Strict planning rules required a large percentage of wall claddings to be timber as high pitched roof slopes. Intense snow falls, sub-zero temperatures in winter, extreme heat in summer and close proximity to active fault lines, had to be considered as part of the design. With a gradual sloping site, all precast concrete wall components had to be produced in Christchurch and transported to the village while passing through a narrow restrictive gorge. Hundreds of meters of sustainable macrocarpa timber were milled and seasoned as part of the wall cladding features.