A story submitted by Fiona to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Nicky Taylor to the QuakeStories website.
The clock tower of the former Railway Station, encased in plywood to prevent further damage. A banner sponsored by The Press hangs below the clock, covered with words which symbolise the September earthquake. The photographer comments, "After the September earthquake the clocked stopped at 04:35 and everyone campaigned to have this clock left as it was. At that time the building was believed to be OK. Two more earthquakes later and the possible memorial will probably end up like a lot of Christchurch's heritage buildings on a huge pile of stone and bricks in Bottle Lake Forest".
In 2010 Neil Challenger, Head of the School of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University, stated that the malls surrounding Christchurch drove the life out of the inner city of Christchurch. His economic and sociological concerns were expressed even before the earthquake occurred, and this forms the current hesitation on the rebuilding of Christchurch’s inner city. The position of this research proposal is to establish whether an urban architectural intervention can address these economic and sociological concerns and the potentially devastating effects the suburban mall has had on urban life within Christchurch. The thesis specifically asks whether establishing a mall typology as a landmark building within the inner city can strategically engage the damaged historic buildings of post-earthquake Christchurch in ways that actively preserve these historic remnants. The main intention of this research is to engage the damaged historic buildings of post-earthquake Christchurch in ways that actively preserve these remnants and are also economically viable. By preserving the remnants as active, working elements of the urban fabric, they act as historic reminders or memorials of the event and associated loss, while also actively participating in the regrowth of the city. The thesis argues that contemporary architecture can play a strategic role in these imperatives. Overall this research argues that there exists a distinct requirement for large-scale retail in the inner city urban environment that recognises and responds to the damaged cultural and historic architecture of inner city Christchurch. The objective of the thesis is to propose means to rejuvenate not only the economic vitality of central Christchurch,but also its historic character.
Summary of oral history interview with Guinevere Eves-Newport about her experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.
An entry from Ruth Gardner's blog for 7 March 2011 entitled, "Day 14 - in the red zone".
A photograph submitted by Jenny to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "Hereford Street a couple of minutes after the quake. Dust from collapsed buildings visible in the background looking towards High Street.".
A photograph submitted by Grant Fife to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "February Quake. Cranmer Court apartments 03/04/2011. The February quake was too much for the already damaged buildings.".
A photograph submitted by Raymond Morris to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "Domo store (McKenzie and Willis) 236 Tuam St. is one of many paintings completed by artist Raymond Morris of earthquake demolished buildings.".
A story submitted by Hilary Lakeman to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Tim Kerr to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Jo Wicken to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Celina Elliott to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Ian Longhorn to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Sue Freeman to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Julie Lee to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Mark Buckley to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Peter Low to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Dee Dawson to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Catherine to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Kerry Grant Donnelly to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Anonymous to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Philip Broderick Willis to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Scott Franklin to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Hebe Kearney to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Kathleen Himiona to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Liz to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Nicky to the QuakeStories website.
A story submitted by Sarah to the QuakeStories website.
Unreinforced masonry (URM) is a construction type that was commonly adopted in New Zealand between the 1880s and 1930s. URM construction is evidently vulnerable to high magnitude earthquakes, with the most recent New Zealand example being the 22 February 2011 Mw6.3 Christchurch earthquake. This earthquake caused significant damage to a majority of URM buildings in the Canterbury area and resulted in 185 fatalities. Many URM buildings still exist in various parts of New Zealand today, and due to their likely poor seismic performance, earthquake assessment and retrofit of the remaining URM building stock is necessary as these buildings have significant architectural heritage and occupy a significant proportion of the nation’s building stock. A collaborative research programme between the University of Auckland and Reid Construction Systems was conducted to investigate an economical yet effective solution for retrofitting New Zealand’s existing URM building stock. This solution adopts the shotcrete technique using an Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC), which is a polyvinyl alcohol fibre reinforced mortar that exhibits strain hardening characteristics. Collaborations have been formed with a number of consulting structural engineers throughout New Zealand to develop innovative and cost effective retrofit solutions for a number of buildings. Two such case studies are presented in this paper. http://www.concrete2013.com.au/technical-program/