Harewood Underpass - Part of the Russley Road Harewood to Avonhead Road Widening

Located under a large roundabout on SH1 Harewood and Russley Roads in Christchurch is an underpass with a difference. The crisp angular whites of the walls remind you of both ice crystals and of the Southern Alps, sitting across the plains to the west. Panels of rough timber-relief concrete provide splashes of colour as you enter and move through the space. A series of skylights bring both natural light and air into the pleasantly wide underpass.

This small piece of infrastructure succeeds in reminding those passing through of its location’s strong link to the nearby mountains; tussock plantings continue this theme. Feeling more like an art installation in a world usually associated with blank concrete, it provides light and colour in a situation usually associated with dimness and grey. Well used by both pedestrians and cyclists, the design team delivered a successful design outcome.

This innovative contribution ensures our ever-growing, hard urban world provides individual and memorable experiences as we move through them.