Recreating History – The Christchurch Town Hall Reinstatement

Author: Mark Browne and John Hare

Date published

16 June 2022

Price
Free
The Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers
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Recreating History – The Christchurch Town Hall Reinstatement

Tag
Author
Date published
Price
Author

Mark Browne and John Hare

Date published

16 June 2022

Author

Mark Browne and John Hare

Price

Free

Hear how Holmes Consulting used high end analysis to minimise the strengthening work required for the Christchurch Town Hall superstructure.

The Christchurch Town Hall is acclaimed worldwide for both its architecture and acoustics. Its position at the centre of the new Performing Arts precinct reinforces its status as a premier event space and the project won the IStructE Supreme Award and Heritage Award at the 2021 Structural Awards. 

Due to the land damage caused by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, the Town Hall foundations required strengthening and damage repair to the original design. Maintaining the original identity of the building was integral to this project with a desire for a tangible link to ‘pre-quake Christchurch’. 

With significant portions being upgraded, repaired, and restored, and additional areas undergoing a complete rebuild, this project offered the full spectrum of structural and geotechnical challenges. Holmes Consulting undertook this technically complex conversation project totalling to approximately NZ $167million.

Reasons to watch

  • Understand the challenges faced while restoring and repairing a heritage building in a highly seismic environment

  • Learn how Holmes Consulting assessed structural damage to buildings following significant earthquakes

  • Identify the analysis and design techniques employed to ensure understanding of the ground improved soil to structure overlap

Speakers

Mark Browne is a Project Director at Holmes Consulting. He has over 16 years of experience working on large projects in New Zealand, Canada, and the West Coast of the USA. Mark returned from Canada to help with the Christchurch rebuild following the 2010-2011 earthquakes and has significant experience in seismic design and construction. Mark enjoys the challenge of repairing, strengthening and restoring existing buildings back to their former state.

John Hare is a structural engineer and Chief Executive of the Holmes Group of companies. He has worked in NZ, UK and the US, where he established a Holmes office in San Francisco in 2000. Since 2006 he has been based again in Christchurch, where he originally commenced practice in 1985. In August 2019, John was awarded the SESOC Presidents Award for his outstanding contribution to the New Zealand Structural Engineering profession.

Recreating History – The Christchurch Town Hall Reinstatement

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