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Images, UC QuakeStudies

Fallen potplants and jumbled paving bricks outside Stewart Dawsons in Cashel Mall. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Weeds growing through the paving outside the old Post Office building in Cathedral Square. A public walkway through to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

On the 22nd of February, 2011 the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was crippled by a colossal earthquake. 185 people were killed, thousands injured and what remained was a city left in destruction and ruin. Thousands of Christchurch properties and buildings were left damaged beyond repair and the rich historical architecture of the Canterbury region had suffered irreparably.  This research will conduct an investigation into whether the use of mixed reality can aid in liberating Christchurch’s rich architectural heritage when applied to the context of destructed buildings within Christchurch.  The aim of this thesis is to formulate a narrative around the embodiment of mixed reality when subjected to the fragmentary historical architecture of Christchurch. Mixed reality will aspire to act as the defining ligature that holds the past, present and future of Christchurch’s architectural heritage intact as if it is all part of the same continuum.  This thesis will focus on the design of a memorial museum within a heavily damaged historical trust registered building due to the Christchurch earthquake. It is important and relevant to conceive the idea of such a design as history is what makes everything we know. The memories of the past, the being of the now and the projection of the future is the basis and fundamental imperative in honouring the city and people of Christchurch. Using the technologies of Mixed Reality and the realm of its counter parts the memorial museum will be a definitive proposition of desire in providing a psychological and physical understanding towards a better Christchurch, for the people of Christchurch.  This thesis serves to explore the renovation possibilities of the Canterbury provincial council building in its destructed state to produce a memorial museum for the Christchurch earthquake. The design seeks to mummify the building in its raw state that sets and develops the narrative through the spaces. The design intervention is kept at a required minimum and in doing so manifests a concentrated eloquence to the derelict space. The interior architecture unlocks the expression of history and time encompassed within a destructive and industrialised architectural dialogue. History is the inhabitant of the building, and using the physical and virtual worlds it can be set free.  This thesis informs a design for a museum in central Christchurch that celebrates and informs the public on past, present and future heritage aspects of Christchurch city. Using mixed reality technologies the spatial layout inside will be a direct effect of the mixed reality used and the exploration of the physical and digital heritage aspects of Christchurch. The use of technology in today’s world is so prevalent that incorporating it into a memorial museum for Christchurch would not only be interesting and exploratory but also offer a sense of pushing forward and striving beyond for a newer, fresher Christchurch. The memorial museum will showcase a range of different exhibitions that formulate around the devastating Christchurch earthquake. Using mixed reality technologies these exhibitions will dictate the spaces inside dependant on their various applications of mixed reality as a technology for architecture. Research will include; what the people of Canterbury are most dear to in regards to Christchurch’s historical environment; the use of mixed reality to visualise digital heritage, and the combination of the physical and digital to serve as an architectural mediation between what was, what is and what there could be.

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

The suburb of New Brighton in Christchurch Aotearoa was once a booming retail sector until the end of its exclusivity to Saturday shopping in 1980 and the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The suburb of New Brighton was hit particularly hard and fell into economic collapse, partly brought on by the nature of its economic structure. This implosion created an urban crisis where people and businesses abandoned the suburb and its once-booming commercial economy. As a result, New Brighton has been left with the residue of abandoned infrastructure and commercial propaganda such as billboards, ATM machines, commercial facades, and shopping trolleys that as abandoned fragments, no longer contribute to culture, society and the economy. This design-led research investigation proposes to repurpose the broken objects that were left behind. By strategically selecting objects that are symbols of the root cause of the economic devastation, the repurposed and re-contextualised fragments will seek to allegorically expose the city’s destructive economic narrative, while providing a renewed sense of place identity for the people. This design-led thesis investigation argues that the seemingly innocuous icons of commercial industry, such as billboards, ATM machines, commercial facades, and shopping trolleys, are intended to act as lures to encourage people to spend money; ultimately, these urban and architectural lures can contribute to economic devastation. The aim of this investigation is to repurpose abandoned fragments of capitalist infrastructure in ways that can help to unveil new possibilities for a disrupted community and enhance their awareness of what led to the urban disruption. The thesis proposes to achieve this research aim by exploring three principal research objectives: 1) to assimilate and re-contextualise disconnected urban fragments into new architectural interventions; 2) to anthropomorphise these new interventions so that they are recognisable as architectural ‘inhabitants’, the storytellers of the urban context; and 3) to curate these new architectural interventions in ways that enable a community-scale allegorical and didactic experience to be recognised.

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

A natural disaster will inevitably strike New Zealand in the coming years, damaging educational facilities. Delays in building quality replacement facilities will lead to short-term disruption of education, risking long-term inequalities for the affected students. The Christchurch earthquake demonstrated the issues arising from a lack of school planning and support. This research proposes a system that can effectively provide rapid, prefabricated, primary schools in post-disaster environments. The aim is to continue education for children in the short term, while using construction that is suitable until the total replacement of the given school is completed. The expandable prefabricated architecture meets the strength, time, and transport requirements to deliver a robust, rapid relief temporary construction. It is also adaptable to any area within New Zealand. This design solution supports personal well-being and mitigates the risk of educational gaps, PTSD linked with anxiety and depression, and many other mental health disorders that can impact students and teachers after a natural disaster.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Proclamations from the "Prophet of Canterbury" hanging on the cordon fence near the Cathedral call for the cordons to be torn down. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look at the Cathedral.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Looking east down Hereford Street from Colombo Street. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone. The partially demolished Grand Chancellor is visible in the background.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Looking down High Street from Colombo Street. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone. The partially demolished Grand Chancellor is visible in the background.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Warped bike stands and liquefaction silt on the corner of High, Colombo and Hereford streets. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.

Research Papers, Lincoln University

The increase in urban population has required cities to rethink their strategies for minimising greenhouse gas impacts and adapting to climate change. While urban design and planning policy have been guided by principles such as walkability (to reduce the dependence on cars) and green infrastructure (to enhance the quality of open spaces to support conservation and human values), there have been conflicting views on what spatial strategies will best prepare cities for a challenging future. Researchers supporting compact cities based upon public Transit Oriented Development have claimed that walkability, higher density and mixed-uses make cities more sustainable (Owen, 2009) and that, while green spaces in cities are necessary, they are dull in comparison with shopfronts and street vendors (Speck, 2012, p 250). Other researchers claim that green infrastructure is fundamental to improving urban sustainability and attracting public space users with improved urban comfort, consequently encouraging walkability (Pitman and Ely, 2013). Landscape architects tend to assume that ‘the greener the better’; however, the efficiency of urban greenery in relation to urban comfort and urbanity depends on its density, distribution and the services provided. Green infrastructure can take many forms (from urban forests to street trees) and provide varied services (amended microclimate, aesthetics, ecology and so forth). In this paper, we evaluate the relevance of current policy in Christchurch regarding both best practice in green infrastructure and urban comfort (Tavares, 2015). We focus on the Christchurch Blueprint for rebuilding the central city, and critically examine the post-earthquake paths the city is following regarding its green and grey infrastructures and the resulting urban environment. We discuss the performance and appropriateness of the current Blueprint in post-earthquake Christchurch, particularly as it relates to the challenges that climate change is creating for cities worldwide.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An abandoned residential property at 28 Waygreen Avenue in New Brighton. The front of the section is covered with weeds and silt from liquefaction. Three broken chairs lie outside the front of the house. The front door is open. 'HM' has been spray-painted in green onto the front wall.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Heathcote Valley entrance to the Bridal Track to Lyttelton was closed for a year because of the danger of falling rocks. It opened on the morning of December 23. The earthquake at lunchtime then closed it again when more rocks fell".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The Williams Street Bridge in Kaiapoi. This part of the footpath was damaged when the concrete abutment rose during the earthquake, forcing its way through the pavement and into the open. Fencing has been placed around this section of the bridge until work can be done to make it safe to walk on.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph submitted by Raymond Morris to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Barbadoes Street. The Cathedral was opened in 1905, the architect was Frank Petrie, and was designed in the Italian renaissance style as a basilica. It is not certain yet whether it will be reconstructed after the 2011 earthquakes.".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Heathcote Valley entrance to the Bridle Track to Lyttelton was closed for a year because of the danger of falling rocks. It opened on the morning of December 23. The earthquake at lunchtime then closed it again when more rocks fell".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of children standing on the plinth where the statue of John Robert Godley, Canterbury's founder, once stood. Members of the public are viewing the damaged cathedral from a walkway that was opened up between Re:Start Mall and Cathedral Square to allow temporary public access.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to the north side of ChristChurch Cathedral. The damaged windows have been boarded up and weeds can be seen growing in the lawn. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look at the cathedral.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

In front of the Williams Street Bridge in Kaiapoi. This part of the footpath was damaged when the concrete abutment rose during the earthquake, forcing its way through the pavement and into the open. Fencing has been placed around this section of the bridge until work can be done to make it safe to walk on.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The remains of lunches are still visible in the window seats of this sushi shop on Colombo Street. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone. People in the walkway are reflected in the window.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Central Library Peterborough was opened to provide a place for library services in the central city. It is stocked with the books that were on circulation when the earthquake happened, as the majority of the Central Library book stock is still inaccessible in the Gloucester Street building".