A view inside the safety fence surrounding the Cranmer Courts on Montreal Street. Sections of masonry from the building have collapsed onto the footpath. In the background a crane can be seen working on the building.
Three excavators sit on top of the demolition rubble where the Crowne Plaza Hotel once stood. In the background are the Forsyth Barr building (left), the Victoria Apartments (centre), and the Environment Court building (right).
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Demolition progress of the Manchester Courts building which was severely damaged after the September earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Demolition progress of the Manchester Courts building which was severely damaged after the September earthquake".
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed and been boarded up with plywood sheeting.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed and been boarded up with plywood sheeting.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Demolition progress of the Manchester Courts building which was severely damaged after the September earthquake".
A photograph submitted by Raymond Morris to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "The New Zealand Express Co. Ltd. building (Manchester Courts) built in 1906 on the corner of Manchester and Hereford Sts. In its time it was Christchurch’s tallest office building. This painting is from the Raymond Morris Collection of earthquake demolished buildings.".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. A chimney has fallen from the roof, damaging many of the roof tiles. A tarpaulin has been placed over a hole to protect the interior of the building from weather damage. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
One landscape colour digital photograph taken on 11 June 2011 showing the demolition of the old Lyttelton Library, Council Chambers and Magistrates' Court on the corner of Oxford Street and Sumner Road. The photograph shows the upper floor of the building being demolished with a high reach digger and a jet of water being played on the building ...
Maybe you can see the 8m high dirt bunt at the foot of the Manchester Courts building to reduce collateral damage.
A street cordon on Montreal Street. In the background a digger works on the demolition of the St Elmo Courts building.
The Copy Centre operating out of a space at the ground floor of the UCSA building, adjacent to the food court.
Armagh Street, near the corner of Durham Street North, looking east-ish towards the Canterbury Provincial Council and Supreme Court Buildings.
Armagh Street, near the corner of Durham Street North, looking east-ish towards the Canterbury Provincial Council and Supreme Court Buildings.
A photograph showcasing the intricate wooden ceiling of the Cranmer Court building's octagonal corner section. Although designed to house a book depot, the room was used as the principal's office while Christchurch Normal School was operating from the building. This part of the building housed Plato Creative from March 2008 to November 2009.
A photograph showcasing the intricate wooden ceiling of the Cranmer Court building's octagonal corner section. Although designed to house a book depot, the room was used as the principal's office while Christchurch Normal School was operating from the building. This part of the building housed Plato Creative from March 2008 to November 2009.
A view down Durham Street. In the background, part of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings and the District Court can be seen.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts. A section of the wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden framing and the interior of the building.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts. A section of the wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden framing and the interior of the building.
A night-time photograph of the Cranmer Court building on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. The building has been lit up from below. The octagonal section on the corner of the building was the part occupied by Plato Creative from March 2008 to November 2009. Although designed to house a book depot, this section was used as the principal's office while Christchurch Normal School was operating from the building.
A black and white, night-time photograph of the Cranmer Court building on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. The building has been lit up from below. The octagonal section on the corner of the building was the part occupied by Plato Creative from March 2008 to November 2009. Although designed to house a book depot, this section was used as the principal's office while Christchurch Normal School was operating from the building.
A night-time photograph of the Cranmer Court building on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. The building has been lit up from below. The octagonal section on the corner of the building was the part occupied by Plato Creative from March 2008 to November 2009. Although designed to house a book depot, this section was used as the principal's office while Christchurch Normal School was operating from the building.
Twelve years after the CTV building collapsed during the Christchurch earthquake, families of the victims killed inside have told an engineering disciplinary hearing they want justice and accountability. 115 people died when the six-storey building came down in February 2011. A complaint against an engineer whose firm designed the building is being heard by an Engineering New Zealand disciplinary committee. Dr Alan Reay lost a High Court bid to stop the hearing. Anna Sargent reports.
A black and white historic photograph looking along Manchester Street, showing the building of the NZ Express Company, customs, shipping and forwarding agents (ca. 1910-1929).
The David and Goliath battle over a heritage building sitting in the way of a planned $473 million dollar, multi-use arena for Christchurch has ended up in court. The 25,000-seated, roofed arena is the final anchor project for the Christchurch rebuild and will be designed to host everything from All Blacks tests to big concerts. But sitting on the edge of the site, at 212 Madras Street, is the NG Building, a 115-year old warehouse that's home to a number of creative businesses. It escaped the worst of the 2011 earthquake and was strengthened by its owners: Roland Logan and Sharon Ng. They say they were told in 2013 the building could be incorporated into the arena's design, and are at loggerheads over its compulsory acquisition. Last week they were at the High Court seeking an injunction that would allow them to temporarily maintain ownership of the building, and that decision was released yesterday - and upheld. Roland joins Kathryn to discuss why they hope the building can be saved.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed, and wooden bracing has been placed across some of the windows.
The Manchester Courts building was a heritage building located in central Christchurch (New Zealand) that was damaged in the Mw 7.1 Darfield earthquake on 4 September 2010 and subsequently demolished as a risk reduction exercise. Because the building was heritage listed, the decision to demolish the building resulted in strong objections from heritage supporters who were of the opinion that the building had sufficient residual strength to survive possible aftershock earthquakes. On 22 February 2011 Christchurch was struck by a severe aftershock, leading to the question of whether building demolition had proven to be the correct risk reduction strategy. Finite element analysis was used to undertake a performance-based assessment, validating the accuracy of the model using the damage observed in the building before its collapse. In addition, soil-structure interaction was introduced into the research due to the comparatively low shear wave velocity of the soil. The demolition of a landmark heritage building was a tragedy that Christchurch will never recover from, but the decision was made considering safety, societal, economic and psychological aspects in order to protect the city and its citizens. The analytical results suggest that the Manchester Courts building would have collapsed during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and that the collapse of the building would have resulted in significant fatalities
Detail of damage to the Cranmer Courts. A section of the wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden framing and the interior of the building.
Detail of damage to the Cranmer Courts. A section of the wall has crumbled, exposing the wooden framing and the interior of the building.