After being largely shut off to the public since the earthquakes, Christchurch's iconic Arts Centre is set to reopen its Great Hall to the public tonight.
Building Record Form for the former Canterbury Public Library, 1870s section, 109 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch
Damaged buildings on Manchester Street. Cordon fencing has been placed in front to keep the public away from the dangerous buildings.
Damaged buildings on Manchester Street. Cordon fencing has been placed in front to keep the public away from the dangerous buildings.
Members of the public take photographs of the deconstruction of the Price Waterhouse Coopers building (left) and the Forsyth Barr building (right).
New Zealand's devastating Canterbury earthquakes provided an opportunity to examine the efficacy of existing regulations and policies relevant to seismic strengthening of vulnerable buildings. The mixed-methods approach adopted, comprising both qualitative and quantitative approaches, revealed that some of the provisions in these regulations pose as constraints to appropriate strengthening of earthquake-prone buildings. Those provisions include the current seismic design philosophy, lack of mandatory disclosure of seismic risks and ineffective timeframes for strengthening vulnerable buildings. Recommendations arising from these research findings and implications for pre-disaster mitigation for future earthquake and Canterbury's post-disaster reconstruction suggest: (1) a reappraisal of the requirements for earthquake engineering design and construction, (2) a review and realignment of all regulatory frameworks relevant to earthquake risk mitigation, and (3) the need to develop a national programme necessary to achieve consistent mitigation efforts across the country. These recommendations are important in order to present a robust framework where New Zealand communities such as Christchurch can gradually recover after a major earthquake disaster, while planning for pre-disaster mitigation against future earthquakes. AM - Accepted Manuscript
Building Record Form for former Canterbury Public Library, 1900s and 1920s section, 109 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch
Damage to buildings on Manchester Street. Scaffolding has been erected outside a building where the wall has crumbled. Fencing has been placed on the footpath to keep the public away from the damaged buildings.
The husband of a woman who died in the CTV building during the February 2011 earthquake is encouraging the public to have their say on a memorial to honour the 185 people who lost their lives four years ago.
New Brighton beach reflected in the window of the New Brighton Public Library building.
A couple of the most intriguing public art installations on in Christchurch. Dr Jessica Halliday discusses COCA gallery's window space project and Riki Manuel describes his art installations made from the ruins of earthquake hit buildings.
Monavale, a publicly owned heritage building and gardens - can't see it surviving this one.
The Peterborough Centre has been cordoned off to keep the public away from the unstable building.
Damage to buildings down Victoria Street. Members of the public have walked inside the police tape cordon to have a look at the damaged buildings and bricks across the road.
Damage to the Caxton Press building (left) and the adjoining building. In front is a pile of bricks, cordonned off with tape and road cones to keep the public away. Spray-painted codes show that the buildings have been checked by USAR.
The sequence of earthquakes that has affected Christchurch and Canterbury since September 2010 has caused damage to a great number of buildings of all construction types. Following post-event damage surveys performed between April 2011 and June 2011, an inventory of the stone masonry buildings in Christchurch and surrounding areas was carried out in order to assemble a database containing the characteristic features of the building stock, as a basis for studying the vulnerability factors that might have influenced the seismic performance of the stone masonry building stock during the Canterbury earthquake sequence. The damage suffered by unreinforced stone masonry buildings is reported and different types of observed failures are described using a specific survey procedure currently in use in Italy. The observed performance of seismic retrofit interventions applied to stone masonry buildings is also described, as an understanding of the seismic response of these interventions is of fundamental importance for assessing the utility of such strengthening techniques when applied to unreinforced stone masonry structures. AM - Accepted Manuscript
A view down Cashel Mall, which has been cordoned off from the public. Damaged buildings and rubble can be seen down the street. The Westpac building can be seen in the background.
The Pier cafe and the New Brighton Public Library building at the start of the New Brighton Pier.
A view down St Asaph Street. St John Christchurch Central building has been cordoned off from the public.
The Pier cafe and the New Brighton Public Library building at the start of the New Brighton Pier.
A graphic showing heritage buildings restored using public money, which have since been marked for demolition due to earthquake damage.
A photograph of 109 Cambridge Terrace, taken from across the street. Two men in a cherry picker are working on the building.
A Red Sticker on the window, the heading says 'Do not approach or enter this building'. These placards were used following the September earthquake to inform the public about the status of a building after it had been checked by engineers.
Members of the public sitting in the outdoor seating area of C1 Expresso's new location in the Alice in Videoland building.
Richard is a retired High School Art/Design teacher who is now making architectural models of houses and public buildings - some destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes.
The title reads 'Future Christchurch CBD?...' Two people stare at numerous large featureless blocks across the Avon River. One says 'Those buildings look pretty ugly' and the other points out that they are 'just the piles'. Context: The Christchurch City Council is moving to impose urban-design etiquette and avert architectural mistakes such as clashing with the neighbours, glaring corporate colours and the long, blank walls common to most suburban shopping malls. The proposed rules will be overseen by an urban-design panel of four experts drawn from a pool of 12 architects, designers, planners and valuers. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Instead of concentrating on the buildings destroyed in and after the earthquakes in Christchurch's CBD, a new event is enticing people back to explore the heritage buildings that have survived. A new organisation, Te Putahi, is behind the Open Christchurch programme that celebrates the city's surviving architecture, starting with inner-city schools throwing open their doors to the public. Architectural historian and co-founder of Te Putahi, Dr Jessica Halliday tells Lynn Freeman they hope to encourage discussion around well-designed spaces and their impacts on peoples' lives. Open Christchurch starts next Sunday with a tour of The Cathedral Grammar Junior School.
Buildings cordoned off at the corner of Victoria and Peterborough Streets. On the cordon fence are signs that inform the public about the businesses' current status.
Cracking below the window of the former Lyttelton Fire Station and Public Library. The photographer comments, "The building at 2 Sumner Road has been sadly damaged by the quake. I was unsure of its future, but now this building has been demolished".
Damage to the Library Chambers (former Christchurch Public Library) where cracks are clearly visible on the brick walls. The footpath around the building has been cordoned off.