There are occasional sewerage spills into the Avon River while all the sewer and road repairs are carried out. This rock wall was level and well above high tide level prior to the eathquakes. All the houses that can been seen here (except for those on the distant Port Hills) are in the suburban "red zone" and are still to be demolished.
While the whole of the North Island is under drought conditions and parts of the South Island likely to follow suit, I doubt it will happen in Christchurch. With hundreds of earthquake road, water and sewer repairs underway many are spilling hundreds of litres of water per minute, like this one outside my house. It has been running like this fo...
AMI Stadium (Lancaster Park), not used since the February 2011 earthquake. It was used predominantly for rugby and cricket. We are still waiting to see what the outcome is for this stadium. Government want a new one closer to the CBD, so there is talk of this being demolished, while others want it repaired. The concrete pad lower left is ...
Between September 4, 2010 and December 23, 2011, a series of earthquakes struck the South Island of New Zealand including the city of Christchurch producing heavy damage. During the strongest shaking, the unreinforced masonry (URM) building stock in Christchurch was subjected to seismic loading equal to approximately 150-200% of code values. Post-earthquake reconnaissance suggested numerous failures of adhesive anchors used for retrofit connection of roof and floor diaphragms to masonry walls. A team of researchers from the Universities of Auckland (NZ) and Minnesota (USA) conducted a field investigation on the performance of new adhesive anchors installed in existing masonry walls. Variables included adhesive type, anchor diameter, embedment length, anchor inclination, and masonry quality. Buildings were selected that had been slated for demolition but which featured exterior walls that had not been damaged. A summary of the deformation response measured during the field tests are presented. AM - Accepted Manuscript
A woman in a burqa walks out of the 'Church of the Multi-denominations'. The church has a steeple and an onion dome. Context: The cartoonist says that the cartoon was drawn for a satirical piece about the rebuilding of Christchurch. Because of the number of churches damaged, including the Anglican cathedral, The cartoon suggests that there should just build one massive church on the AMI stadium site that all religions can use on their particular day....spires would be raised and lowered etc. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The EQC (Earthquake Commission) has developed new standards and designs to help rebuild Christchurch after the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. The Department of Building and Housing have produced some generic building foundation and floor designs that can be used for residential homes being built or repaired on liquefied, tilting, unsettled and/or damaged land. (RebuildChristchurch.co.nz) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The NG building on Madras Street was given the go ahead to repair earthquake damage, which the owners did at some expense, Now, the government want this land to build a central city stadium, so there is a protest on the windows set to the Christmas song the Twelve Days of Christmas. 12 million road cones 11 thousand Hi-Viz (vests) 10 Council m...
The NG building on Madras Street was given the go ahead to repair earthquake damage, which the owners did at some expense, Now, the government want this land to build a central city stadium, so there is a protest on the windows set to the Christmas song the Twelve Days of Christmas. 12 million road cones 11 thousand Hi-Viz (vests) 10 Council m...
The ruins of the historic Durham Street Methodist Church in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The only parts of the building still upright are those supported by steel braces placed there after the 4 September 2010 earthquake to strengthen the building as it awaited repairs. Rubble has spilled out onto the street, knocking over the safety fences that were also erected after September. Silt from liquefaction has covered the road around the church.
The ruins of the historic Durham Street Methodist Church in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The only parts of the building still upright are those supported by steel braces placed there after the 4 September 2010 earthquake to strengthen the building as it awaited repairs. Rubble has spilled out onto the street, knocking over the safety fences that were also erected after September. Silt from liquefaction has covered the road around the church.
The ruins of the historic Durham Street Methodist Church in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The only parts of the building still upright are those supported by steel braces placed there after the 4 September 2010 earthquake to strengthen the building as it awaited repairs. Rubble has spilled out onto the street, knocking over the safety fences that were also erected after September. Silt from liquefaction has covered the road around the church.
Its budget may have blown out by almost a third more than the original figure, but this weekend the doors to the Christchurch Town Hall will re-open for the first time since the 2011 earthquakes. It was touch and go whether the 47 year-old building would even be repaired after the 6.2 quake eight years ago today. 167-million-dollars later and the city is finally getting its town hall back. Conan Young was allowed inside for a sneak peak ahead of Saturday's official opening.
A video of an interview with Linda Stewart, Chairperson of the Burwood-Pegasus Community Board, about how the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes have affected the facilities in her ward. Stewart talks about the loss of recreational reserves such as QEII Park, and the likelihood that residents will leave the area if they cannot teach their children to swim. She also talks about the repair process, and the need for community meeting places.
The University of Canterbury's E-Learning team's temporary office in the James Hight building. The photographer comments, "First looks at our new temporary (maybe) office space. Our group will stay here until April or May 2011, then will move to another floor in the Central Library. Foyer lifts etc. Female toilets are off the foyer to the left. These lifts start at Level 2 of the Library, and are heavily used by students. (Once the building is repaired after the earthquake; several floors are still in a mess)".
Reinforced concrete buildings that satisfied modern seismic design criteria generally behaved as expected during the recent Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes in New Zealand, forming plastic hinges in intended locations. While this meant that life-safety performance objectives were met, widespread demolition and heavy economic losses took place in the aftermath of the earthquakes.The Christchurch central business district was particularly hard hit, with over 60% of the multistorey reinforced concrete buildings being demolished. A lack of knowledge on the post-earthquake residual capacity of reinforced concrete buildings was a contributing factor to the mass demolition.Many aspects related to the assessment of earthquake-damaged reinforced concrete buildings require further research. This thesis focusses on improving the state of knowledge on the post earthquakeresidual capacity and reparability of moderately damaged plastic hinges, with an emphasis on plastic hinges typical of modern moment frame structures. The repair method focussed on is epoxy injection of cracks and patching of spalled concrete. A targeted test program on seventeen nominally identical large-scale ductile reinforced concrete beams, three of which were repaired by epoxy injection following initial damaging loadings, was conducted to support these objectives. Test variables included the loading protocol, the loading rate, and the level of restraint to axial elongation.The information that can be gleaned from post-earthquake damage surveys is investigated. It is shown that residual crack widths are dependent on residual deformations, and are not necessarily indicative of the maximum rotation demands or the plastic hinge residual capacity. The implications of various other types of damage typical of beam and column plastic hinges are also discussed.Experimental data are used to demonstrate that the strength and deformation capacity of plastic hinges with modern seismic detailing are often unreduced as a result of moderate earthquake induced damage, albeit with certain exceptions. Special attention is given to the effects of prior yielding of the longitudinal reinforcement, accounting for the low-cycle fatigue and strain ageing phenomena. A material-level testing program on the low-cycle fatigue behaviour of grade 300E reinforcing steel was conducted to supplement the data available in the literature.A reduction in stiffness, relative to the initial secant stiffness to yield, occurs due to moderate plastic hinging damage. This reduction in stiffness is shown to be correlated with the ductility demand,and a proposed model gives a conservative lower-bound estimate of the residual stiffness following an arbitrary earthquake-type loading. Repair by epoxy injection is shown to be effective in restoring the majority of stiffness to plastic hinges in beams. Epoxy injection is also shown to have implications for the residual strength and elongation characteristics of repaired plastic hinges.
Shows a carcass that represents the Christchurch Cathedral with many people rushing to try to save it from demolition. Context: the extremely controversial debate about whether the Christchurch Cathedral which was severely damaged in the earthquakes, should be demolished, rebuilt on the same site in the same style or partially demolished and made into a memorial. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text reads 'The new liquefaction?...' and the cartoon depicts a huge mass of 'insurance red tape' inside which is a man with a spade. Two people stare despairingly at the red tape and the man says 'How are we EVER gonna rebuild with this stuff bubbling up!' Context: The people are trying to rebuild their house after the Christchurch earthquakes and are having trouble with their insurance company. The Press has been contacted by people unable to get insurance to buy new homes, construct buildings or start businesses. Business leaders have called insurance delays a "cancer" eating away at the city's recovery, and Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has acknowledged insurance is an "ongoing problem". (The Press - 24 August 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
In the top frames two children shout 'four point one', 'three point six', and 'five point two' and in the frame below it is seen that they are responding to bumps in the road as their mother drives through Christchurch streets. Context - The children have become expert at guessing the seismic intensity of earthquakes in Christchurch and are now applying them to bumps in the road. Colour and black and white versions available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
The earthquake re-pair work has started on the Knox Church on Bealey Avenue, August 14, 2013 Christchurch New Zealand. While building after building is torn down in Christchurch, plans are in place to ensure as much of a 131-year-old church is retained as possible. Knox Church on Bealey Avenue suffered major damage in the February 22 earthquak...
In the foreground PM John Key drives a bulldozer over Christchurch; in the background two engineers read a newspaper report that says 'P.M. gives false demolition number, PM gives false World Cup hope' and one of them says 'Now I know why those things are called BULLdozers..' Context - Prime Minister John Key is sticking to a government estimate that 10,000 Christchurch homes will need to be razed despite criticism that he should wait for official figures; he also stated that 100,000 homes may need repairs, despite Civil Defence saying it has only checked 70,000 homes so far. John Key was also insisting that there was a chance of keeping World Cup rugby games in Christchurch but an official announcement on 16 March dashed those hopes. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text above reads 'Central Christchurch business owners protest' and the words 'Cordon Blur' (wordplay on famous cookery schools 'Cordon Bleu' and 'blur' as in 'unclear'). The cartoon shows a striped barrier bearing the words 'KEEP OUT' that is being torn to pieces. A second version continues the text to read 'Central Christchurch business owners protest as future directions unclear'. Context - Protests from angry Christchurch business owners locked out of the damaged CBD have intensified today, with police physically intervening when several protesters went inside the cordon. They are worried about the state of their businesses inside the red zone, and say they have not been allowed in to collect critical records and basic tools so they can carry on working outside the cordon. (NZ Herald 21 March 2011) Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
Finance Minister Bill English takes a chain saw to a huge tome that represents the 'NZ Government BUDGET May 2011'. Context - the Government says cutting budget spending is necessary because it is going to have to pay back money borrowed to rebuild Christchurch. The Government will face the biggest budget deficit in New Zealand's history at the end of the current financial year, Finance Minister Bill English says. (NZ Herald 31 March 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Hundreds of children and 12 schools have pre-registered for swimming lessons at Christchurch's new Taiora QE2 sports centre, which opens today. The Canterbury earthquakes damaged the complex beyond repair, and almost six years after it was demolished, a new QE2 has risen from rubble - admittedly smaller and without the athletics track the old one was so well known for. Schools in particular are welcoming today's opening, after having to spend big bucks on transport to get their students to pools for lessons since the quakes. Logan Church reports.
A scathing inquiry into the Earthquake Commission's handling of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes could mean huge change for how it handles claims. The Government says it's committed to implementing all of the recommendations from the inquiry, including improving its communication, planning and preparedness and dispute resolution. John Goddard, an insurance and employment law barrister who dealt with more than 4000 claims at the time, says repairs were handled poorly and the new recommendations won't cover all the bases. John Goddard and Melanie Bourke of EQC Fix speak to Corin Dann.
The beloved Christchurch Arts Centre - built in the 1870s - has slowly been reopening after repairs and restoration. An open day last weekend saw the public getting their first look into the complex's school of art building since the earthquakes. One beneficiary has been singer-songwriter Bic Runga, who has kick-started the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora's revived Creative Residencies programme. She tells Mark Amery she's been trying out all sorts of new things. Applications for Bic's song-writing workshop in Christchurch in early July close on Friday 31 May.
A photograph of a sign in the window of the Diabetes Centre on Hagley Avenue. The sign reads, "The Diabetes Centre is open. There are currently some earthquake repairs going on inside the building; however the building is safe to enter. Unfortunately the lift is out of action. Here are some pictures of what the building looks like inside: the lift is out of action until further notice; the gib board in the stairwell is being replaced; some ceiling panels are being replaced; our friendly administration staff are happy to assist where possible".
A digitally manipulated image of two chairs sitting among rubble. The photographer comments, "There is a strip of land that has been declared as the red zone. This means that the houses facing towards the tidal estuary must be abandoned as they are on land that has been declared uneconomic to repair after the Christchurch earthquakes. These chairs are at the front of one of these properties that will be bulldozed. These seem to be saying come hell or high water we will not be moved".
Topics - it's been described as the 'Downton Effect' - a revival of more formal dinner parties as the British try to bring back fine dining. Today we learned that insurance companies have completed just 15 per cent of rebuilds and 10 per cent of over-cap repairs more than three years after the Canterbury earthquakes. A series of rallies are being held in five Australian cities today by New Zealanders protesting against legislation which denies them rights to welfare. Commuters are cautiously optimistic about a radical revamp proposed for Wellington's rush-hour rail service.
he 2016 Building (Earthquake Prone Building) Amendment Act aims to improve the system for managing earthquake-prone buildings. The proposed changes to the Act were precipitated by the Canterbury earthquakes, and the need to improve the seismic safety of New Zealand’s building stock. However, the Act has significant ramifications for territorial authorities, organisations and individuals in small New Zealand towns, since assessing and repairing heritage buildings poses a major cost to districts with low populations and poor rental returns on commercial buildings.
Shows Bishop Victoria Matthews reading a brochure offering cheap deals for cathedrals and their various accoutrements. Context: refers to the debate about the fate of the Christchurch Cathedral. Bishop Victoria Matthews is in favour of demolishing the cathedral to a certain safe level. The lobby for saving the cathedral, wrecked by the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, is very strong. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).