Planning is underway to start the demolition of the biggest casualty of the Christchurch earthquake; the Hotel Grand Chancellor - The Press reports:
Earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee has announced that construction giant Fletchers has won the contract for the 10-month demolition of the unstable hotel at a media conference inside the central-city red zone.
Brownlee said the hotel's deconstruction would be "the largest demolition ever carried out in New Zealand".
While it could take up to a year, Brownlee said it should be safe to re-open the central city area around the hotel within five or six months.
The 27-storey building has been on a lean since the February quake, with authorities labelling it the most difficult demolition job in Christchurch.
Deconstruction of the building from the top down would start in a "few weeks'' once a full engineering assessment was done.
Brownlee said the demolition was "hugely symbolic" for Christchurch.
"It's very important to get these big demolition jobs going because the sooner these buildings are down the faster we can move to reopen areas and get on with rebuilding,'' said Brownlee.
"As the hotel comes down in height it will mean that safer access will gradually be possible to nearby buildings and streets."
The leaning Hotel Grand Chancellor has become symbolic of the February 22nd earthquake. We've seen it, and the external damage is easily visible. It's been an absolute blessing that none of the many aftershocks since February 22nd has caused it to tumble, because the damage potential doesn't bear thinking about.
But tumble it will, albeit in a controlled manner. Having stayed there in the past, it willl be sad to see it go, but as Gerry Brownlee has noted, its continued presence stands in the way of in the way of the rebuild, and a significant area of the CBD cannot be reopened until the site has been made safe.
It also illustrates just how slow and painstaking the rebuild of Christchurch is going to be, and what a challenge Christchurch, the government and everyone involved faces. At least the people of Christchurch can be secure in the knowledge that the government has legislated the provision of a huge sum of taxpayer funds towards the rebuild in the wake of last week's Budget.
Christchurch will rebuild, but the sight of the Hotel Grand Chancellor on the city's skyline will soon be just a memory of the way things were before Frebruary 22nd.
9 comments:
what contract hasn't Fletchers won with Gerry at the helm?
Why is it taking 10 months to pull down? US demolition experts pull down bigger buildings in 20% of the time.
The Chan's insurance company are going to be spitting tacks that its taking so long, 10 additional months of insurance cover for 80%+ occupancy, and 3 of those months covering a period where the hotel was 100% pre booked for the RWC
"the government has legislated the provision of a huge sum of taxpayer funds towards the rebuild" ..and the America's Cup yacht, and the Rugby World Cup, and the irrigation project for farmers in Canterbury and the bail-outs for finance companies etc. etc.
Hoooray!!! Taxpayer money for all (not raising the minimum wage though, oh no, not helping those taxpayers.)
Good old *strike* Socialist */strike* Government.
anon - I wondered about the length of time too. Was it in Oklahoma City that they `dropped' a building using explosives with no repercussions that were publicised.
As far as Fletchers are concerned aren't they `it' in the NZ construction world. Imagine the uproar from the lefties if overseas companies were brought in.
Squatter - strange post. Can you elaborate.
@ pdm - I strongly suspect that Squatting in one of the aliases that a certain commenter has been using in the last few days. His style of prose gives him away.
The difficulty as I understand it is that because the building is still unstable, demolition (or deconstruction) will have to be a slow process. The HGC is by far the tallest building in its immediate vicinity, and until it has been dropped to about 14 stories it presents a danger to other buildings in the area, some of which will be damaged and some that are fine. I heard on the radio at 2pm that it will be done floor by floor and skip by skip with a very large crane to be erected in the hotel's carpark.
As far as Fletchers getting the tender, I understand that theirs was one of four in a competitive process. The left clearly want to see Brownlee fail.
I'd would love to know the legal and insurance implications of doing a controlled explosion resulting in damage to nearby buildings nearby. I can only assume this is the reason for being rather conservative approach that is being adopted with the Grand Chancellor.
People need to realize the CBD is one huge mess and it just isn't all as simple as many think to get it all up and running again quickly. And there are other damaged tall buildings to think about too......
'The left clearly want to see Brownlee fail."
Mate, what a load of crap.
Everyone wants to see the rebuild of Christchurch succeed and for that to happen Brownlee can't be allowed to fail.
I've read through some of your recent posts and am blown away by some of the rubbish you spout using politics as an excuse to do so. Unchristian words from one who claims to be a brother in the lord.
I'm a christian and would ask you to pray a little on what has brought you to stoop to this level of petty blogging. Please forgive those who you perceive wrong you or who hold different beliefs to you and leave this spiteful public journal keeping to those who don't know any better.
Peace be with you. (I'll see you at church in Wangas on Sunday?)
"The Left want to see this entire government fail." (Brownlee included.)
Cadwallader
Everyone wants to see the rebuild of Christchurch succeed
Bullshit. Anyone who understands the country's financial position knows that any rebuild is simply unaffordable.
The only solution we can afford is to put the red zone of limits permanently, and then e.g. have the RAAF F/18s in to flatten everything that's still standing - yes, starting with the Cathedrals! -
then bulldoze it flat.
perhaps make a 4-lane "inner ring road" around the edge of the zone.
and leave it until we can afford to do something more.
You know in 2025 or 2055 or 2095 when our income is the same as Australia!
The GC building being unstable means (or meant, I haven't had an update in two weeks) the IRD building is uninhabitable.
Even disasters have their upsides.
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