Both the exterior treatment and the interior fit-out seek to evoke aspects of Canterbury’s agricultural heritage and food industry, reinforcing the client’s desire for rustic charm. Inspiration for colour, form, texture, and material selection is derived from the various themes throughout the Canterbury countryside – box hedges, field patterns, and mountain ranges.

A monumental atrium space inside the main entrance, conceived as a glade amongst forest trees, introduces light and acts as a beacon within the wider city precinct. The Hoyts cinema multiplex is housed within a concrete ‘wall structure’, wrapped in a variegated green and glass cladding that is reminiscent of a Canterbury shelter belt.

If Hoyts is the destination, the grand entrance creates immediate excitement and direction. By contrast, the small doorway into Cleaver & Co evokes the feel of a speakeasy. This myriad of experiences, unified within a simple architectural concept, achieves a playful balance between form and function; commerce and art.

The dining concourse, located beneath the canopies and structures along the length of Colombo Street, is glazed to create permeability and connectivity with the adjoining streetscape. The dining interior is strewn with motifs from the Cantabrian landscape - ferns, groves, vines, and beech forest – along with signs and wall surfaces referencing the agricultural history of the region.