Search

found 845 results

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

This article explores the scope of small-scale radio to create an auditory geography of place. It focuses on the short-term art radio project The Stadium Broadcast, which was staged in November 2014 in an earthquake-damaged sports stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. Thousands of buildings and homes in Christchurch have been demolished since the February 22, 2011, earthquake, and by the time of the broadcast the stadium at Lancaster Park had been unused for three years and nine months, and its future was uncertain. The Stadium Broadcast constructed a radio memorial to the Park’s 130-year history through archival recordings, the memories of local people, observation of its current state, and a performed site-specificity. The Stadium Broadcast reflected on the spatiality of radio sounds and transmissions, memory, postdisaster transitionality, and the impermanence of place.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of an interview with stonemason Mark Whyte, about the demolition of the Holy Trinity Church in Avonside. Whyte discusses how the building should have been deconstructed slowly in order to salvage unique heritage material such as stained-glass windows and hand-painted ceilings.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a press conference with Bishop Victoria Matthews in the Botanic Gardens about the plans for the earthquake-damaged ChristChurch Cathedral. Matthews announces that the cathedral will be deconstructed, allowing the safe retrieval of taonga and heritage items within the building.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The sequence of earthquakes that has greatly affected Christchurch and Canterbury since September 2010 has again demonstrated the need for seismic retrofit of heritage unreinforced masonry buildings. Commencing in April 2011, the damage to unreinforced stone masonry buildings in Christchurch was assessed and recorded with the primary objective being to document the seismic performance of these structures, recognising that they constitute an important component of New Zealand’s heritage architecture. A damage statistics database was compiled by combining the results of safety evaluation placarding and post-earthquake inspections, and it was determined that the damage observed was consistent with observations previously made on the seismic performance of stone masonry structures in large earthquakes. Details are also given on typical building characteristics and on failure modes observed. Suggestions on appropriate seismic retrofit and remediation techniques are presented, in relation also to strengthening interventions that are typical for similar unreinforced stone masonry structures in Europe.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Stonemason Mark Whyte puts sculpting commissions aside in order to respond to the Christchurch earthquakes and save classic street facades from the 1870s. Across the Red Zone and 3 generations of the Aires family- Bob, Rob and Suzie are at work on the Heritage Hotel which were the old government buildings.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a tour of the historic Canterbury Club building on Cambridge Terrace. The club will reopen on 9 June 2012, after an intensive rebuild and restoration process which has fixed the damage from the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video also includes an interview with Dr Brent Stanley, the Canterbury Club President. Stanley talks about the strengthening work that was done in 2009, as well as the history of the club.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of the reopening ceremony for the Heritage Hotel in Cathedral Square, which has been closed since the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video shows Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae opening the building while a string trio plays. It also includes footage of a speech by the Governor General, and a tour of the hotel.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Topics - The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says it is important to be realistic about the demolition of Christchurch's heritage buildings following the powerful earthquake there last month. Motorists should prepare themselves for more increases in the price of petrol which, the AA warns, is likely to reach a new high.

Images, Alexander Turnbull Library

Prime Minister John Key drives a tractor to which is attached a crane and a huge demolition ball in the shape of MP Gerry Brownlee's head; the ball smashes against a historic building bringing stone pediments down. Context - Gerry Brownlee, who is Earthquake Recovery Minister, has caused a stir by suggesting that if he had his way some of Christchurch's older buildings would be "down tomorrow". He also said the price of saving some historic buildings badly damaged in the February 22 earthquake was too high. People had died in the quake because of attempts to save historic buildings badly damaged in the September 4 quake. Brownlee said he had no regrets despite the stir his comments caused - but he was annoyed by suggestions the Cathedral and Riccarton House were among buildings he thought should be bowled. He believed those buildings should be saved, and they would be. "I'm not a philistine; I was chairman of the trust that actually saved Riccarton House from the bulldozers in 1990. "I understand conservation architecture very well and I do have an appreciation of heritage buildings." Original cartoon held at A-474-048 Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Images, Alexander Turnbull Library

Text at the top of the cartoon reads 'NZ city strengthening?' A whole city enclosed in a glass dome and balanced on huge springs intended to make it earthquake resistant rocks as another aftershock hits. Context - Two earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks have hit Christchurch, the first on 4 September 2010 and a second more devastating one on 22 February 2011. There has been great emphasis on making heritage buildings that are rebuilt and all new buildings earthquake resistant. The example in the cartoon is perhaps a Springs-with-damper base isolator. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Topics - scientists are wondering how the light gets out. Maybe there is a cosmic crack in everything, because in the Journal Astrophysical Letters it is noted that there is a huge deficit of light in the universe. Owners of heritage apartments in Auckland face becoming "impoverished" according to a high-profile real estate figure, because of new laws around earthquake strengthening. Martin Dunn of City Sales says the Building Amendment Bill is "overkill". He says those trying to sell heritage apartments are having a difficult time because of the new rules. Jim Anderton, has again raised the issue of whether the Christchurch Cathedral has to come down.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

Following the devastating 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, buildings in Napier and surrounding areas in the Hawke's Bay region were rebuilt in a comparatively homogenous structural and architectural style comprising the region's famous Art Deco stock. These interwar buildings are most often composed of reinforced concrete two-way space frames, and although they have comparatively ductile detailing for their date of construction, are often expected to be brittle, earthquake-prone buildings in preliminary seismic assessments. Furthermore, the likelihood of global collapse of an RC building during a design-level earthquake became an issue warranting particular attention following the collapse of multiple RC buildings in the February 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Those who value the architectural heritage and future use of these iconic Art Deco buildings - including building owners, tenants, and city officials, among others - must consider how they can be best preserved and utilized functionally given the especially pressing implications of relevant safety, regulatory, and economic factors. This study was intended to provide information on the seismic hazard, geometric weaknesses, collapse hazards, material properties, structural detailing, empirically based vulnerability, and recommended analysis approaches particular to Art Deco buildings in Hawke's Bay as a resource for professional structural engineers tasked with seismic assessments and retrofit designs for these buildings. The observed satisfactory performance of similar low-rise, ostensibly brittle RC buildings in other earthquakes and the examination of the structural redundancy and expected column drift capacities in these buildings, led to the conclusion that the seismic capacity of these buildings is generally underrated in simple, force-based assessments.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) criticised for misleading and inadequate measurements on housing foundations when assessing damage to Canterbury homes; Wellington historic building champions vow to save heritage structure in the capital; the spread of didymo in Fiordland; Defence Force sentencing today after drowning last year; the censorship of Maniac, arty audiences only please, and; the PM changes tack on working with NZ First.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Sadly the Chapel has been badly damaged in the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit Christchurch 22 February 2011. See below. The Rose Historic Chapel formerly St Mary’s Convent Chapel is the sole survivor of a group of heritage buildings in Christchurch that once comprised the St Mary’s Convent complex for the Sisters of Mercy in North Colombo St...