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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Deconstruction, at the end of the useful life of a building, produces a considerable amount of materials which must be disposed of, or be recycled / reused. At present, in New Zealand, most timber construction and demolition (C&D) material, particularly treated timber, is simply waste and is placed in landfills. For both technical and economic reasons (and despite the increasing cost of landfills), this position is unlikely to change in the next 10 – 15 years unless legislation dictates otherwise. Careful deconstruction, as opposed to demolition, can provide some timber materials which can be immediately re-used (eg. doors and windows), or further processed into other components (eg. beams or walls) or recycled (‘cascaded’) into other timber or composite products (e.g. fibre-board). This reusing / recycling of materials is being driven slowly in NZ by legislation, the ‘greening’ of the construction industry and public pressure. However, the recovery of useful material can be expensive and uneconomic (as opposed to land-filling). In NZ, there are few facilities which are able to sort and separate timber materials from other waste, although the soon-to-be commissioned Burwood Resource Recovery Park in Christchurch will attempt to deal with significant quantities of demolition waste from the recent earthquakes. The success (or otherwise) of this operation should provide good information as to how future C&D waste will be managed in NZ. In NZ, there are only a few, small scale facilities which are able to burn waste wood for energy recovery (e.g. timber mills), and none are known to be able to handle large quantities of treated timber. Such facilities, with constantly improving technology, are being commissioned in Europe (often with Government subsidies) and this indicates that similar bio-energy (co)generation will be established in NZ in the future. However, at present, the NZ Government provides little assistance to the bio-energy industry and the emergence worldwide of shale-gas reserves is likely to push the economic viability of bio-energy further into the future. The behaviour of timber materials placed in landfills is complex and poorly understood. Degrading timber in landfills has the potential to generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas, which can escape to the atmosphere and cancel out the significant benefits of carbon sequestration during tree growth. Improving security of landfills and more effective and efficient collection and utilisation of methane from landfills in NZ will significantly reduce the potential for leakage of methane to the atmosphere, acting as an offset to the continuing use of underground fossil fuels. Life cycle assessment (LCA), an increasingly important methodology for quantifying the environmental impacts of building materials (particularly energy, and global warming potential (GWP)), will soon be incorporated into the NZ Green Building Council Greenstar rating tools. Such LCA studies must provide a level playing field for all building materials and consider the whole life cycle. Whilst the end-of-life treatment of timber by LCA may establish a present-day base scenario, any analysis must also present a realistic end-of-life scenario for the future deconstruction of any 6 new building, as any building built today will be deconstructed many years in the future, when very different technologies will be available to deal with construction waste. At present, LCA practitioners in NZ and Australia place much value on a single research document on the degradation of timber in landfills (Ximenes et al., 2008). This leads to an end-of-life base scenario for timber which many in the industry consider to be an overestimation of the potential negative effects of methane generation. In Europe, the base scenario for wood disposal is cascading timber products and then burning for energy recovery, which normally significantly reduces any negative effects of the end-of-life for timber. LCA studies in NZ should always provide a sensitivity analysis for the end-of-life of timber and strongly and confidently argue that alternative future scenarios are realistic disposal options for buildings deconstructed in the future. Data-sets for environmental impacts (such as GWP) of building materials in NZ are limited and based on few research studies. The compilation of comprehensive data-sets with country-specific information for all building materials is considered a priority, preferably accounting for end-of-life options. The NZ timber industry should continue to ‘champion’ the environmental credentials of timber, over and above those of the other major building materials (concrete and steel). End-of-life should not be considered the ‘Achilles heel’ of the timber story.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a badly-damaged building on Manchester Street, which previously housed the Treehouse bar and nightclub. The roof and second storey of the building have been temporarily repaired and the building is fenced off.

Research papers, Lincoln University

A series of earthquakes has forced Christchurch to re-plan and rebuild. Discussions about rebuilding strategies have emphasized the intention of making it a city for the future, sustainable and vibrant. This paper discusses the relationship between microclimate and urban culture in Christchurch based upon the concept of urban comfort. It explores the relationships between environment, people and culture to help understand the local requirements for urban landscape design. In this paper we claim that cultural requirements also should be taken into account when looking for sustainable strategies. A distinctive feature of this research is its focus on the way people are adapting to both surviving prequake and new post‐quake environments. Preliminary findings from the first year of field work using participant observation and 61 in‐depth interviews with Christchurch residents are presented. The interviews were carried out in a variety of urban settings including: established sites (places sustaining relatively little damage) and emerging sites (those requiring rebuilding) during 2011‐2012. Evidence from the interviews highlight future challenges regarding sustainability and urban comfort issues. Post‐quake Christchurch presents a remarkable opportunity to design an urban landscape which provides environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. However, to achieve successful outcomes it is fundamental to respond to the local culture. Field data suggest that the strong connections between urban and rural settings present in local culture, lifestyle and landscape generate a particular aesthetic and recreation preference for urban spaces, which should be considered in the urban landscape design strategies.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

A bit of the now demolished QEII (Queen Elizabeth II) Park running track in the "Gap Filler" on the old Deka site in New Brighton (last occupied by a charity barn before a major fire and subsequent demolition).

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A Gap Filler mini-golf site made out of recycled materials. This hole was situated on Manchester Street on an empty demolition site. Gap Filler volunteers and community groups designed and installed mini-golf holes on vacant sites around the central business district.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Conversations between one-time residents of an historic riverside community - in the 1970s the late Elsie Locke and Rod Donald helped to create one of Christchurch's strongest riverside communities. The Avon Loop now subject to post earthquake re-classifation and demolition.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of building rubble on a demolition site between St Asaph Street and Tuam Street. The old Post Office building can be seen in the distance to the left and on the right are badly-damaged High Street buildings.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video about the earthquake damage to the Christchurch Town Hall. The video shows footage of a tour through the inside of the Town Hall, recorded on a GoPro camera. It also includes interviews with Councillor Glenn Livingstone and Councillor Tim Carter about their impressions of the damage and the work that will be needed to fix the building.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

See previous photo (exactly 3 hours earlier). Demolition of the support structure for NZ Breweries smokestack in Christchurch. CERES NZ's nibbler is at work, the pipe stack having been removed yesterday (Saturday). This is three hours after the previous photo, and just a pile of rubble sits beside the tree (largely undamaged despite being next...

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Demolition of the support structure for NZ Breweries smokestack in Christchurch. CERES NZ's nibbler is at work, the pipe stack having been removed yesterday (Saturday). I retuned three hours later to see what progress had been made and it was GONE! See next photo. Damage to complex was from the 22/02/20011 earthquake.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of building rubble on a demolition site between St Asaph Street and Tuam Street. The old Post Office building can be seen in the distance to the left and on the right are badly-damaged High Street buildings.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Exactly 75 years ago today, Superman made his debut in "Action Comics" No. 1. Campaigners for the restoration of the Christchurch Cathedral are "thrilled" that rebuilding the earthquake-damaged church remains on the table. The Press reports Christchurch's hotel shortage is so critical that at times visitor centre staff have had to put tourists up in their own homes.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Christchurch and Canterbury suffered significant housing losses due to the earthquakes. Estimates from the Earthquake Commission (EQC) (2011) suggest that over 150,000 homes (around three quarters of Christchurch housing stock) sustained damage from the earthquakes. Some areas of Christchurch have been declared not suitable for rebuilding, affecting more than 7,500 residential properties.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video telling the story of a Dallington house which was built by Bill Cooper in 1957. The house was demolished last month as part of the clearance of the Christchurch residential red zone. The story of the house is used to illustrate what is happening in many Christchurch suburbs. The video also includes the story of a sea elephant that lived in the Avon River in the 1970s and 1980s.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of members of the public burning the 'Temple for Christchurch' art piece at the Motukara Raceway. The art piece was designed by artist Hippathy Valentine to provide a mechanism for emotional healing alongside the physical rebuilding of Christchurch. People were encouraged to visit the temple and to write stories and leave memorabilia. The piece is being burned to signify the release of these stories.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Awaiting the demolition ball! See the hole punched in by the neighbouring building (now demolished) during the February 22 2011 earthquake. This building is leaning to the north (left) while it's now demolished neighbour was leaning to the south (right). All because the crap land gave way underneath!

Audio, Radio New Zealand

A villa built on the Sumner Esplanade in Christchurch early last century has been saved from demolition and given a new lease of life. A Queenstown couple couldn't bear to see the beautiful home demolished after the earthquakes, so they bought it, had it cut into two pieces and trucked the 500-kilometres south to the Gibbston Valley near Queenstown.

Images, Alexander Turnbull Library

Passengers use the baggage carousel at the Christchurch Airport to sleep on as they are swept around. 'Such a unique concept... a revolving motel!' Shortage of accommodation in Christchurch, because of earthquake-damaged hotels and motels and workers coming in for the Rebuild, was a serious problem for travellers to Christchurch, leading many to sleep in the airport overnight. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of an interview with Andy Cole, site supervisor at Geovert, about the procedure for blasting rocks in Hillsborough. The rock-blasting work was paid for by two Christchurch couples whose properties were red-zoned and red-stickered. The couples hope that the blasting work will encourage CERA to change their land zoning from red to green, allowing them to rebuild their homes on the same sites.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Actor Tony Robinson at the "I hope Christchurch will..." blackboard, a mural on the corner of Colombo and Tuam Streets. Members of the public were invited to fill in the gaps with what they would like to see in the rebuilt city. Messages can be seen, such as, "I want sun!", "Embrace the new", "Retain its unique character", "Rise, and rise, and rise", "Rebuild to be better and stronger than before!" and "Environmentally friendly".

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of interviews with four enterprising young Christchurch residents recorded two years after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video includes interviews with Gap Filler Director Coralie Winn, Arts Centre Director Andrew Lovatt, artist Mike Hewson, and Student Volunteer Army leader Jason Pembleton. The interviewees are asked four questions: 'What do you think Christchurch city centre will look like in 10 years?', 'What do you most want to see in the new city?', 'What do you miss most about the old city?', and 'What keeps you in Christchurch?'.