The story of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church began in 1863 when 19 Baptists gathered to form the first congregation in the centre of a city rising from the swamps beside the Avon River.
The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes destroyed the central city, including the Baptist Church building which sadly had to be demolished.
The design team was headed by Architect Andrew Barrier of ABL Ltd who have also been involved in the ‘Temporary Christchurch Cathedral’ and the Cathedral Grammar Junior School projects. The new building’s ground floor houses a Cafe, Church offices, Commercial Kitchen, Hall, Baptismal Nook and Nature room. The Chapel and Auditorium has an Organ Loft. On the first- floor there are offices for lease. A high level of design input was required throughout the build due to all the various construction elements involved. Our staff remained in close co-ordination with the design team, working on ways to construct the complex design.
Ground-works involve Rammed Aggregate Piles to stabilise the ground prior to construction. Interior design elements include exposed block walls and floors, sliding panel doors and high-level glazing. There is plywood joinery, LVL columns and Gothic LVL ceilings. Exterior design elements include Metal-craft tray cladding and roofing and an Oki-Skin cladding system. Civil work includes a specific landscape design incorporating a sunken terrace, historic timber seats, a Corten steel planter and historic stone columns.