Christchurch City Council staff will remain out of the Te Hononga Civic Offices annex as seismic strengthening work begins on the building’s Worcester Boulevard side.
While the main Civic Offices building meets 100 percent of the New Building Standard (NBS), a recent engineering assessment found the annex floor connections sit at just 40 percent. Although this is above the threshold for an earthquake-prone rating, engineers warned the annex structure could behave unpredictably or fail abruptly in a major earthquake.
Chief Executive Mary Richardson said staff had already vacated the annex and will continue to stay out while the strengthening work is carried out.
“The likelihood of a large earthquake is considered low, however based on the potential consequences and the temporary mitigation measures available, we have determined that the Council should continue to vacate the annex area,” she said.
“Safety of Council staff, elected members and visitors is paramount and after discussing the risks, mitigations and options with the Council engineers and the Executive Leadership Team, we’re not willing to take any risks on that.”
Seismic strengthening work is expected to take up to six months. Richardson said leaving the annex unoccupied would allow investigation and construction to move ahead as quickly as possible.
“We are still working on logistics for how the remedial programme will run, but there is an advantage to the space being empty during that time,” she said.
“Given the longer period of restricted access, we will be looking at ways to improve the working environment for relocated staff and elected members.”
The Worcester Boulevard entrance has reopened, and the Civil Servant café is operating again, with tables now set up in the main building.
“Having assessed the usage of the Worcester Boulevard ramp and entrance, we consider there is a lower risk to users of this entrance due to the shorter time the area is occupied,” Richardson said.
She thanked staff, elected members, and visitors for their patience and commitment during the disruption.
