When Higgs Construction brought us the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust brief, it came with genuine heart. Expand Rānui House. Create 43 apartments for patients and families travelling to Christchurch for treatment. Make it generous on an ungenerous budget. We saw possibility in the constraint.

Three apartment types. Endless combinations. Our modular approach let us repeat with precision, stretching every dollar while maintaining quality and warmth.

The four-storey, L-shaped building uses precast concrete as both structure and aesthetic—honest, efficient, architectural. Timber fins and carefully chosen pale blue tones soften the edges. That colour choice wasn’t arbitrary. Research shows soft blue promotes calm and supports wellbeing—something the Trust felt deeply about.

We went beyond code requirements, creating spaces for people who might not be in good health. Wider corridors, thoughtful sight lines, communal areas that invite connection without demanding it. Every detail considered.

Higgs Construction and over 570 trades and contractors worked on this project. Each understood the mission. They weren’t building apartments; they were building hope.

In its first year, Rānui Apartments welcomed 1,670 families who spent more than 11,000 nights in a place designed to feel like home.

Sometimes the most powerful architecture is the kind that simply holds space for healing.