The badly-damaged McKenzie and Willis building, with bracing for support.
The facade of the Isaac Theatre Royal, protected by shipping containers, awaits restoration.
Seen through the cordon fence on Tuam Street, shipping containers support the facade of the Excelsior Hotel, the only part of the hotel still standing.
Christchurch is home to many diverse ethnic groups whose voices have sometimes gone unheard in the aftermath of the earthquakes and the city's rebuild plans. Katy Gosset visits a gathering in Christchurch's battered eastern suburbs to hear their thoughts on post-quake life and the future of their adopted home.
A public talk by Nicole Lauenstein, Architect, urban design and planning. This talk, entitled 'Sustainable urban living...working, sleeping, playing, running, laughing...in Christchurch again...a new process', formed part of the Plenary Three session, 'Designing the future'.
A photograph of a painting in Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace. The painting depicts heritage buildings which were demolished in Christchurch, as well as the year or era in which they were built.
One landscape colour digital photograph taken on 26 May 2013 of Lyttelton Main School. The photograph is taken from St Davids Street looking northwest. One of the broader consequences of the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes has been the Ministry of Education’s Shaping Education – Future Direction Review of Schools in the Greater Christchurch Ar...
A large number of businesses that used to be in the centre of Christchurch relocated after the earthquakes. Are they satisfied with their new locations and do they intend to return to the central city? We questioned 209 relocated businesses about their relocation history, present circumstances and future intentions. Many businesses were content with their new premises, despite having encountered a range of problems; those businesses that were questioned later in our survey period were more content. The average business in our sample rated the chances of moving back to the central city as around 50 %, but this varies with the type of business. Building height did not emerge as a major issue, but rents may be. The mix of types of business is likely to be different in the new city centre.
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Rapaki Property Group building".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Rapaki Property Group building".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Rapaki Property Group building".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Rapaki Property Group building".
A photograph of detail of the McKenzie & Willis building. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Tuam Street and High Street shops, CBD. By Alice's".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Crichton Cobbers demolition".
A photograph of the former Trinity Church.
A photograph of the former Trinity Church.
A photograph of the former Trinity Church.
The city of Christchurch has experienced over 10,000 aftershocks since the 4th of September 2010 earthquake of which approximately 50 have been greater than magnitude 5. The damage caused to URM buildings in Christchurch over this sequence of earthquakes has been well documented. Due to the similarity in age and construction of URM buildings in Adelaide, South Australia and Christchurch (they are sister cities, of similar age and heritage), an investigation was conducted to learn lessons for Adelaide based on the Christchurch experience. To this end, the number of URM buildings in the central business districts of both cities, the extent of seismic strengthening that exists in both cities, and the relative earthquake hazards for both cities were considered. This paper will report on these findings and recommend strategies that the city of Adelaide could consider to significantly reduce the seismic risk posed by URM buildings in future earthquake.
Heritage buildings on Hereford Street, still standing.
A video of the removal of the earthquake-damaged Medway Street bridge from the banks of the Avon River. The video shows members of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team removing the bridge and preparing it for transport to the Ferrymead Heritage Park. It will remain at the park until a permanent home can be found for it as an earthquake memorial.
An entry from Deb Robertson's blog for 7 May 2013 entitled, "My Thoughts on the Rebuild of Christchurch".
A series of earthquakes has forced Christchurch to re-plan and rebuild. Discussions about rebuilding strategies have emphasized the intention of making it a city for the future, sustainable and vibrant. This paper discusses the relationship between microclimate and urban culture in Christchurch based upon the concept of urban comfort. It explores the relationships between environment, people and culture to help understand the local requirements for urban landscape design. In this paper we claim that cultural requirements also should be taken into account when looking for sustainable strategies. A distinctive feature of this research is its focus on the way people are adapting to both surviving prequake and new post‐quake environments. Preliminary findings from the first year of field work using participant observation and 61 in‐depth interviews with Christchurch residents are presented. The interviews were carried out in a variety of urban settings including: established sites (places sustaining relatively little damage) and emerging sites (those requiring rebuilding) during 2011‐2012. Evidence from the interviews highlight future challenges regarding sustainability and urban comfort issues. Post‐quake Christchurch presents a remarkable opportunity to design an urban landscape which provides environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. However, to achieve successful outcomes it is fundamental to respond to the local culture. Field data suggest that the strong connections between urban and rural settings present in local culture, lifestyle and landscape generate a particular aesthetic and recreation preference for urban spaces, which should be considered in the urban landscape design strategies.
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Crichton Cobbers demolition".
A photograph of steel bracing supporting the McKenzie & Willis building. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Tuam Street and High Street shops, CBD. By Alice's".
An entry from Ruth Gardner's blog for 8 January 2013 entitled, "'Tractive Tricksters".
A photograph of a fire-damaged building in High Street. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Tuam Street and High Street shops, CBD. By Alice's".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Crichton Cobbers demolition".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Crichton Cobbers demolition".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Crichton Cobbers demolition".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Worcester Boulevard, CBD".