Christchurch’s new $92m central city library opened today – replacing the former library which was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. But as Logan Church discovers, with sewing suites, a TV wall and a music studio, this library is home to more than rows and rows of books.
A dusty bottle sits on top of a partially demolished wall. The photographer comments, "The Ozone used to be a popular bar in its day and somehow this bottle must have literally fallen through the cracks.
Timber-based hybrid structures provide a prospective solution for utilizing environmentally friendly timber material in the construction of mid-rise or high-rise structures. This study mainly focuses on structural damage evaluation for a type of timber-steel hybrid structures, which incorporate prefabricated light wood frame shear walls into steel moment-resisting frames (SMRFs). The structural damage of such a hybrid structure was evaluated through shake table tests on a four-story large-scale timber-steel hybrid structure. Four ground motion records (i.e., Wenchuan earthquake, Canterbury earthquake, El-Centro earthquake, and Kobe earthquake) were chosen for the tests, with the consideration of three different probability levels (i.e., minor, moderate and major earthquakes) for each record. During the shake table tests, the hybrid structure performed quite well with visual damage only to wood shear walls. No visual damage in SMRF and the frame-to-wall connections was observed. The correlation of visual damage to seismic intensity, modal-based damage index and inter-story drift was discussed. The reported work provided a basis of knowledge for performance-based seismic design (PBSD) for such timber-based hybrid structures.
Should you have been so fortunate, while wandering the streets of 1860s Christchurch, to find yourself north of the square, you may have come across an establishment bearing the name of Sydenham House and containing within its walls all manner of … Continue reading →
A photograph of an Urban Search and Rescue team member removing a framed picture from the wall of a flat on Poplar Street during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes.
A photograph of a worker examining the contents of a flat on Poplar Street during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
A photograph of a room inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The building's outer wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
A photograph of a room inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The building's outer wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
A photograph of a room inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The building's outer wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "A 1928 black and white film of Christchurch being played on a wall that is about to be demolished, on the site of South of the Border restaurant and Denis Moore Auto Electricians, which were destroyed by earthquake damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftershock damage at the Cathedral Square site of The Press caused by the Boxing Day quakes. Damage caused to the builder's store in the basement of The Press building by a neighbouring brick wall falling into the roof".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftershock damage at the Cathedral Square site of The Press caused by the Boxing Day quakes. Damage caused to the builder's store in the basement of The Press building by a neighbouring brick wall falling into the roof".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "A 1928 black and white film of Christchurch being played on a wall that is about to be demolished, on the site of South of the Border restaurant and Denis Moore Auto Electricians, which were destroyed by earthquake damage".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Richard Loffhagen, owner of Simply Catering, stands on the old site on the corner of Madras Street and Salisbury Street where he wrote a message on the wall the day the old building was brought down".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftershock damage at the Cathedral Square site of The Press caused by the Boxing Day quakes. Damage caused to the builder's store in the basement of The Press building by a neighbouring brick wall falling into the roof".
A photograph of the house at 410 Oxford Terrace. Sections of the brick fence at the front have been removed. Some of the bricks are stacked on the remaining wall, or have fallen on the footpath in front.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftershock damage at the Cathedral Square site of The Press caused by the Boxing Day quakes. Damage caused to the builder's store in the basement of The Press building by a neighbouring brick wall falling into the roof".
Damage to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Looking through the fence on to the side and front where shipping containers are being used to support the walls. On the cordon are signs that say 'Danger. Demolition in Progress. No Entry', and 'Monitored construction alarms. Site secured. No Unauthorised entry'.
A photograph of a kitchen in the Diabetes Centre. Several power tools have been left on the bench and a roll of plastic sheeting has been propped up against it. A hole has been cut in the wall behind to expose several pipes and wires.
A photograph of a room inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The building's outer wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
Members of the public view the damaged tower of Christ Church Cathedral. Bracing has been placed on the front wall to the right to limit further damage. In the centre of the crowd stands a wire cage filled with stones. After the earthquake, love notes to Christchurch were written on the stones.
A photograph of a room inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The building's outer wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
A photograph of an Urban Search and Rescue team member examining the contents of a flat on Poplar Street during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The buildings wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed.
A photograph of a desk and turn table taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. The desk and turn table are covered in dust and rubble, and the outer wall is crumbled behind them.
A panoramic photograph taken at the front of Christ Church Cathedral. The front of the cathedral has steel bracing against it to limit further damage. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled completely, exposing the inside space. The Chalice sculpture is to the right and the BNZ building can be seen in the background.
A photograph from inside a flat on Poplar Street taken during the Residential Access Project. The project gave residents temporary access within the red-zone cordon in order to retrieve items from their homes. A section of the wall has crumbled leaving the room exposed. A desk stands covered in dust and rubble.
A damaged brick building has wooden bracing holding the walls together. The photographer comments, "This building came through the September Christchurch quake with a few band aid plasters, but the February quake means that she is now DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)".
Flowers blooming in a vacant site left by the demolition of a building at the corner of Worcester Street and Stanmore Road. A sign on the ground says 'Commemorative service here Wed 22nd Feb. Bring flowers, seedheads and symbols of memory and hope". In the background, on the wall it says 'Do not demo!'.
Wall of the Butterfly Gap, where landowner Robyn wanted to activate the gap where a house she owned once stood. This is a Gap Filler project, a space where the public can request to hold markets or stalls. On it is a sign that says '' Butterfly Gap, Come and rest your wings...All Welcome'. Butterfly Gap.
The front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against it to limit further damage. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look at the cathedral.