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Building plans signed off by the Christchurch City Council show one of its own structural engineers was involved in the design of a new multistorey building that is unstable. The eight-storey office building at 230 High Street is off-limits as it is too weak and might 'rupture' in an earthquake. But the council insists the planning documents are wrong and its engineer had only a minor role. Phil Pennington reports.

Photograph by Neil Macbeth 266

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Smoke billowing from the remains of the collapsed Canterbury Television Building on Madras Street. Flames are visible through a gap in the intact section of the building. Below, emergency personnel can be seen searching the rubble for trapped people. On the right, two workers are using a piece of corrugated plastic as a slide to remove objects from the rubble.

Photograph by Neil Macbeth 271

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A member of the New Zealand Fire Service in a cherry picker spraying water at the fire burning in the collapsed Canterbury Television Building. Smoke is billowing out of the intact section of the building. Below, emergency personnel are searching the rubble for trapped people. A piece of corrugated plastic is being used to slide pieces of debris off the site.

WEMO ERT Set 1 - March 2011 - Photograph 37

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Stranges Building on the corner of High Street and Lichfield Street. In the background are the Mexican Café and Honey Pot Café buildings. The outer wall of the top storey of the Stranges Building has collapsed and the rubble has spilled onto the footpath below.

BeckerFraserPhotos October 2011 photograph 410

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A pile of rubble from a demolished building on Worcester Street. In the background, the partially demolished Warners Hotel can be seen as well as the Novotel and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Building in the distance. A digger and long-reach excavator can also be seen.

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The entrance to the West Avon building on Montreal Street. The photographer comments, "This very wonderful Art Deco heritage building in Christchurch had residents living in it until another visit from the building engineers re-re-checking for earthquake damage. Now it is fenced off and on the list for possible demolition".

Diabetes Centre Photograph 036

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a yellow sticker on the window of the Diabetes Centre on Hagley Avenue. The sticker was placed on the building after the 4 September 2010 earthquake, indicating that access to the building was restricted. The engineer who surveyed the building describes the damage to the building as follows: "Panel damaged and displaced at rear - area cordoned off. Loose soffit linings. Damage to ceiling".