Honda Dealership

Completed by Calder Stewart in 2019. The Honda Cars main showroom in Christchurch was redeveloped into a high-profile, modern retail complex designed to meet current earthquake code. Honda views its facility as a critical tool for selling and servicing vehicles, and the pre-existing showroom performed this role extremely well - making the decision to evolve the space a carefully considered one.

Rather than opting for a full demolition and rebuild, a selective retention approach was adopted, preserving elements of the structure that already met code. While this presented some challenges, it allowed key areas such as the workshop, parts store, and smoko room to be retained.

Responding to the client brief, Lonsdale Architectural developed a design that combined a spacious showroom with a bold expression of the Honda brand through distinctive perforated, curved cladding panels. Fielden and Calder Stewart engineers collaborated to design the panels and fixing details, delivering an effective, cost-efficient solution that could be quickly installed.

While the ‘H’ perforations reinforce the Honda brand, these curved 5mm-thick, powder-coated aluminium cladding panels with approximately 30% open area help reduce solar gain and glare across the extensively glazed showroom.

Although the project began as a renovation of an existing structure, the final result looks more like a new build.

• CLIENT:
  Calder Stewart - designed by Lonsdale Architectural
• LOCATION:
  Christchurch Central, Christchurch
• SERVICES:
  Design Service, Perforated Panel Manufacture