Portholes at the port. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_23 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Sunshine on London Street. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_14 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Pink and cheerful. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_16 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Parklands Library on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 012 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Parklands Library on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 014 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Story times. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_22 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Library entrance. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_18 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Comfortable spot to read. Photos taken in Redwood Library on April 8 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Redwood-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0442 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Wharves are busy. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_12 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Empty lots in Lyttelton. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_13 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
A busy welcoming space. Photos taken in Lyttelton Library on May 24, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24-Lyttelton-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_21 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Delivering the books. Photos taken in Redwood Library on April 8 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Redwood-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0437 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in New Brighton on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-25-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 007 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken of the Mobile Library on March 31, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-Mobile-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 025 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photo taken outside Opawa Community Church on March 20 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-20-After-The-Earthquake-P1110691 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Parklands Library on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 016 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in New Brighton on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-25-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 003 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Richmond on March 25 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-25-Richmond-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0392 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Parklands Library on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 013 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
New Zealand has a long tradition of using light timber frame for construction of its domestic dwellings. After the most recent earthquakes (e.g. Canterbury earthquakes sequence), wooden residential houses showed satisfactory life safety performance. However, poor performance was reported in terms of their seismic resilience. Although numerous innovative methods to mitigate damage have been introduced to the New Zealand community in order to improve wooden house performance, these retrofit options have not been readily taken up. The low number of retrofitted wooden-framed houses leads to questions about whether homeowners are aware of the necessity of seismic retrofitting their houses to achieve a satisfactory seismic performance. This study aims to explore different retrofit technologies that can be applied to wooden-framed houses in Wellington, taking into account the need of homeowners to understand the risk, likelihood and extent of damage expected after an event. A survey will be conducted in Wellington about perceptions of homeowners towards the expected performance of their wooden-framed houses. The survey questions were designed to gain an understanding of homeowners' levels of safety and awareness of possible damage after a seismic event. Afterwards, a structural review of a sample of the houses will be undertaken to identify common features and detail potential seismic concerns. The findings will break down barriers to making improvements in the performance of wooden-framed houses and lead to enhancements in the confidence of homeowners in the event of future seismic activity. This will result in increased understanding and contribute towards an accessible knowledge base, which will possibly increase significantly the use of these technologies and avoid unnecessary economic and social costs after a seismic event.
An aerial view of Christchurch a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Manchester and Gloucester Streets can be seen.
An aerial view of Christchurch a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The Hotel Grand Chancellor can be seen.
An aerial view of Christchurch a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The Hotel Grand Chancellor can be seen.
People walk and drive along Manchester Street shortly after the 22 February earthquake. Bricks from collapsed buildings litter the road. The photographer comments, "Just after the aftershock settled on Tuesday afternoon, myself and colleagues fled our Tuam Street office to absolute devastation outside. We couldn't see more than a block in either direction due to the clouds of dust that had arisen from buildings that had just collapsed ... From here, we picked up our vehicles from the CCC car park and headed out to get out of the chaos to a position where we could check on loved ones. Heading first along Manchester Street, buildings that were already heavily damaged were now completely written off".
An aerial view of Christchurch a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The Oxford Terrace Baptist Church can be seen.
An aerial view of Hagley Park a week after the 22 February 2011 earthquake, with liquefaction visible on the golf course.
Prime Minister John Key and Gerry Brownlee, the Minister of Economic Development, giving a briefing after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
This study explores the role and value of urban community gardens following a major crisis: the 2010/11 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.
A photograph of the earthquake-damaged Ruben Blades Hairdressing Academy Building on Manchester Street. Crowds have gathered at the intersection of Manchester and High Streets after evacuating their buildings during the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A photograph looking down Manchester Street towards the Excelsior Sports Bar. A crowd of people have gathered at the intersection of Manchester and High Streets after evacuating their buildings during the 22 February 2011 earthquake.