Dorset Street Flats
| Dorset Street Flats | |
|---|---|
Dorset Street Flats in the 1970s | |
| General information | |
| Type | Residential |
| Architectural style | Modernist, Christchurch School |
| Location | Christchurch Central, New Zealand |
| Year(s) built | 1956–1957 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Miles Warren |
| Engineer | Lyall Holmes |
| Main contractor | Cecil Davenport |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Greg Young of Young Architects |
| Awards and prizes | 2023 New Zealand Architecture Awards |
The Dorset Street Flats is a mid-century modernist apartment complex in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was designed by Miles Warren and built in the late 1950s. It is credited as an essential example of Christchurch Style architecture and is regarded among the most significant twentieth-century architectural projects in New Zealand. In 2010, Heritage New Zealand listed it as a Category 1 historic place.
The building was originally derided by the public for its unconventional approach, particularly its brutalist aspects. However, it was praised by contemporary architects and retrospectively appreciated, regarded as an important project in establishing the Christchurch School of architecture, a modernist design language developed in Christchurch.
The Dorset Street Flats complex underwent a significant restoration following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, but retains much of its essential character. The apartments are privately owned and the building continues to operate as a residential apartment complex.