Light and lofty

WORDS Kim Newth PHOTOS Jason Mann

Opposite the Margaret Mahy Playground, the old Municipal Electrical Department (MED) building is a familiar central city landmark. Following full restoration, it is now playing a vibrant role in the life of the central city. Avenues heads upstairs to explore Lumin’s new offices. 

40 Three Sixty Architecture’s Tom Norman and Christchurch interior designer Christina Christensen can well remember this upstairs space as it used to be a few years ago, dishevelled and dusty, with pigeons roosting inside. Working together, they have transformed it into a uniquely chic modern office environment.

Tom’s journey with this building began when development company Box 112 appointed Three Sixty Architecture for the full restoration and fit-out of the 1933 Art Deco building.

“Back then, in 2018, nothing was level, and there was barely a straight edge anywhere,” he recalls. 

Yet the building’s concrete walls and steel structure framed a compelling canvas, and now, five years later, the design reimagination is complete. Even the exterior has a vibrant new look, thanks to Christchurch creative Kyla K. With old and new elements skilfully blended and imbued with a design aesthetic that embraces the street, the MED building today accommodates an inspiring public art gallery, NZME’s studios and offices, along with several communications and technology companies. 

Lumin’s Christchurch team moved in last August. It is exciting to get a behind-the-scenes tour with Tom and Christina, who completed this upper-level fit-out in collaboration and have evidently taken a lot of care to respect heritage elements. They point out the original sarking boards and steel roof beams overhead. Native timber flooring is also original, having been fully restored. The building’s industrial steel windows are another striking feature, bringing in so much natural light. That sense of lightness has been further enhanced by the low sheen white painted walls and white-painted truss ceiling. 

The building’s special character was a big drawcard for the Lumin team, led by Christina’s son Max Ferguson, whose vision for comfortably modern NYC loft-style offices has been beautifully achieved here. Max, who founded Lumin in 2014, has developed the company as a leading worldwide provider of PDF signing software. Lumin opened Christchurch premises on St Asaph Street in 2020, but ongoing growth then sparked the hunt for a bigger space.

“As soon as we found this unique building, we could see its potential as a landmark for our brand,” says Max, who notes there is plenty of room for further growth at the Lumin loft. 

Every detail of this fit-out has been carefully thought through to honour the building’s legacy while meeting the needs of a thriving software company with a global reach. Some furniture pieces – along with many indoor plants flourishing in focal areas – are purposeful re-use inclusions from Lumin’s previous premises. Alongside that, there has been considered investment in new top-end office furniture and equipment. 

“This mix represents the company well and the building’s history,” says Christina.

She and Tom note how the curved arrival wall pays subtle homage to streamlined 1930s style, guiding clients into the spacious open-plan office area where oak-topped workstations are set up in quads. 

Amenities include a modern meeting room with adjacent break-out space and table tennis, plus a well-appointed board room. Both these rooms are glazed on the office-facing side, with frosted glass panels for privacy. These are standalone spaces and are not built into the original perimeter so as to preserve the heritage fabric. At the far end of the floor is an inviting staff lounge and kitchen/cafeteria.

“We often have informal meetings here [in the lounge],” says Caleb Helm, who heads Lumin’s sales, support and operations. “It’s a great space for after-work drinks too, and provides a nice contrast in style with the work environment.”

With drapes and comfortable contemporary seating, it really does look like a relaxed, upmarket residential lounge, flowing open-plan style to ‘dining’ with a bespoke stone-topped table and spacious modern kitchen.

Contemporary Art Deco-inspired touches include opal glass lighting shades, round mirrored pieces, and velvet cushions, along with tongue and groove textures in the kitchen and boardroom.

Feature walls in heritage colours – green, blue, and pink – are the finishing touch, in perfect sync with Lumin’s logos and branding. 

What a wonderful addition to the city this building is today, with resident pigeons now a fast-receding memory!