Bench in the Butterfly Gap, where landowner Robyn wanted to activate the gap where a house she owned once stood. This is a Gap Filler project, a space where the public can request to hold markets or stalls
Looking in the cordon fence, the damaged Gough House, with windows boarded up and the Vintage Watch store on Hereford Street. On the fence is a sign that says 'Road closed' and another one advertising a Wilson's carpark
View of Christchurch Art Gallery's forecourt, which includes the sculpture "Reasons for Voyaging", a collaboration between Canterbury sculptor, Graham Bennett and architect, David Cole. Behind it is the HSBC House and the new Christchurch City Council Civic offices.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kingston the guide dog puppy with his puppy walker Diana Wilson. The earthquake of 4 September created a few upheavals in family life after the family house became unliveable".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Tamatea Briggs (12) is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn too scared to go back into their house".
Wall around the Butterfly Gap, where landowner Robyn wanted to activate the gap where a house she owned once stood. This is a Gap Filler project, a space where the public can request to hold markets or stalls
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Tamatea Briggs (12) is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kingston the guide dog puppy with his puppy walker Diana Wilson. The earthquake of 4 September created a few upheavals in family life after the family house became unliveable".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch earthquake. Rob Souness of Weedons Eggs suffered serious damage to his hen house but managed to save 23000 hens, losing 3000 after the earthquake proof cages collapsed".
A view of an empty site that is now covered with weeds and silt from liquefaction. On the site is a digger and two shipping containers. In the background, demolition work on the Manchester Securities House can be seen.
We have published previously on the importance of buildings, be they residential or commercial, as an artefact in understanding 19th century culture in New Zealand. While it’s easy to overlook the humble cottage as a source of archaeological data, houses … Continue reading →
Underfloor deposits are as exasperating as they are exciting. Exasperating because the context is not particularly secure: objects usually accumulate under a house over time (thrown or swept from the outside, lost or dropped between the floorboards, dragged in by … Continue reading →
Part of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage To Lost Spaces' in the Cramner Courts building, a photograph of a young man working at a desk has been inserted into a gap in the building. The photographer comments, "Although Cranmer Courts are in ruins pictures have been inserted into the windows to make them look occupied".
Moves towards returning the famed rose window to Christ Church Cathedral begin today. An eighteen-tonne steel frame is being installed onto the cathedral's west facade as part of restoration work. It will eventually housing the rose window. The cathedral was critically damaged in the Christchurch earthquake of 2011. Project director Keith Paterson is in Cathedral Square. He speaks to Susie Ferguson.
In 2016, the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016 was introduced to address the issue of seismic vulnerability amongst existing buildings in Aotearoa New Zealand. This Act introduced a mandatory scheme to remediate buildings deemed particularly vulnerable to seismic hazard, as recommended by the 2012 Royal Commission into the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010–2011. This Earthquake-prone Building (EPB) framework is unusual internationally for the mandatory obligations that it introduces. This article explores and critiques the operation of the scheme in practice through an examination of its implementation provisions and the experiences of more recent seismic events (confirmed by engineering research). This analysis leads to the conclusion that the operation of the current scheme and particularly the application of the concept of EPB vulnerability excludes large numbers of (primarily urban) buildings which pose a significant risk in the event of a significant (but expected) seismic event. As a result, the EPB scheme fails to achieve its goals and instead may create a false impression that it does so
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Awaiting demolition
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Johnson family of Avonside Drive. From top: Gary, Lisa, Danielle (6) and Blake (4) are thrilled after learning ANZ will cover the full value of their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "2010 Canterbury Earthquake. Story to do with grants for people without water and sewage. Miriam O'Malley waits to use a portaloo outside her house on Maling Street".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Johnson family of Avonside Drive. From top: Gary, Lisa, Danielle (6) and Blake (4) are thrilled after learning ANZ will cover the full value of their house".
Being prepared for removal. Is in red zone so has to go.d The house had minimal damage, but the land it was on was deemed to be no good - red zoned.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Acland Ave and other nearby residents upset about houses that are green stickered but are unlivable and they cannot access any relief funds. Delivery of a portaloo on Acland Avenue".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Acland Ave and other nearby residents upset about houses that are green stickered being unliveable. They cannot access any relief funds. Council water and waste manager Mark Christison talks to residents".
Canterbury earthquake victims with the most damaged homes could have to wait more than two and half years for their houses to be fixed - but one owner says her problems are nothing compared to the misery of the Pike River mine disaster.
New assessment guidelines are reclassifying houses which were previously written off as being repairable, leaving owners up to $180,000 worse off. Kathryn talks to Leanne Curtis, spokesperson for the Canterbury Community Earthquake Recovery Network, and Renee Walker, spokesperson for IAG New Zealand.
Damage to the building that housed the LSI English Language School on Peterborough Street. The side wall where bricks have fallen from has been covered up, and the area around the building has been cordoned off. Piles of bricks are still visible on the site.
Over the past two blog posts we’ve been looking at a large assemblage of labelled bottles found under a house in Akaroa. Today on the blog we’re going to take a step back and look at how the bottles travelled … Continue reading →
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Kaiapoi Senior Constable Anna Stenhouse can still share a laugh with National list MP Kate Wilkinson and Minister of Police Judith Collins after losing her house in the 4 September quake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Acland Ave and other nearby residents upset about houses that are green stickered but are unlivable and they cannot access any relief funds. Delivery of a portaloo on Acland Avenue".
Continuing on from last week’s blog, today’s post takes a look (or a sniff, if you will) at the aromas of everyday life inside a Victorian house. Smell is such an intrinsic part of human life, yet so fleeting that it … Continue reading →