I really thing this project needs it's own site. It's a massive project, which is going to cause great political storm over the next year.

Lets start the rough ride :horse:

It's going to be very interesting :nuts: :yes: :speech: :bleep: :2cents::bash: :rant: :yes:

08.06.2007

By ANNA LEASK

The controversial on-again off-again hunt for a new headquarters for our city council is on again.

City councillors yesterday agreed to put the plan to build a $100 million headquarters on the Orion site in the central city on hold, and look for other potential lower cost sites.

The plan for a new HQ has been a testy one with ratepayers over the past year or so.

In Wednesday's Star mayoral hopeful Megan Woods said her political 2021 group would target projects like a new HQ as an election issue.

"I think it's great that the council have extended that decision," she said.

"The site selection is going to be a big election issue, it's a huge issue for the people of Christchurch."

At yesterday's council meeting it was decided the Orion site would remain a contender for the final site, however, Vbase, the company responsible for the project, will now seek expressions of interest from other property owners in the central city area.

The western boundary of the search area, which was originally the Avon River, would now stretch to Rolleston Ave.

The owners of potential sites within both the previously defined area and the new area will be encouraged to either re-submit earlier proposals, or submit new ones.

Cr Helen Broughton suggested the site search area be widened even further, but Mayor Garry Moore said it was important to keep the civic offices in the central city.

He said it would contribute to the council's goal of revitalising the area.

"It will be the biggest building built in the central city other than the hospital," he said.

Last August the council indicated it preferred the Orion site, however, Vbase identified constraints on the site, including a $15 million relocation of a substation and transformer, and wanted to explore other options.

Vbase would also investigate the feasibility of including a new bus exchange as part of the development.

A report will be presented to councillors in September, just one month before local body elections.

A new central city office is needed as the current Tuam St centre, built as a department store in the 1930s is fast approaching the end of its life as suitable office accommodation.

07.06.2007

By AMANDA LEGGE

Labour's local body political wing signalled yesterday it will be targeting high profile issues to force change around the city council table when the election is held in October.

2021 mayoral candidate Megan Woods said one of the biggest issues on the campaigning agenda was the proposed new $100m civic offices. The grouping had begun a series of meetings last week with experts to see what viable alternatives were available.

Yesterday 2021 released to The Star the list of its council candidates for the October election.

In the past 2021 was a strong player on the citys local body politics scene.

However, at the last election in 2004 only mayor Garry Moore and councillor Anna Crighton were voted back under the 2021 ticket. The group now believes it is ready for a dominant presence on the council.
Dr Woods said, since she was announced as 2021s mayoral candidate six weeks ago, she had been talking to people at the "grass roots level" to find out what changes they wanted to see in the city.

She said feedback showed the civic offices debate would undoubtedly be an election issue.

"There is a lot of community discontent. There is a strong feeling in the community that people are not being listened to and their voices not respected or their rate payer dollar," she said.

2021 was looking at a range of options surrounding the proposed building and would go public with its preferred position soon.

"These range from sprucing up the existing building in Tuam St (pictured above) through to choosing a new location in the city or perhaps a more decentralised model  putting council back into the community by utilising land and holdings the council already has," Dr Woods said.

The civic building debate will come back to a full council meeting tomorrow, with councillors being asked to formalise a request by Vbase, the company responsible for the project, to widen its search for a new building site.

Initially the Orion site was announced as the council's preferred site, but detailed investigation revealed potentially costly and time-consuming issues around it.

Council corporate services manager Roy Baker said councillors were being asked to accept a recommendation to widen the site search within the central city by shifting the western boundary from the Avon River to Rolleston Ave.

Vbase was also being asked to look at the feasibility of including a new bus exchange as part of the development. He said the Orion site would still be considered

Dr Woods said the public felt they had not been given an opportunity to have a say about the development.

"The election will be the time when the community do feel they have a chance," she said.

Dr Woods said if she became mayor, she was prepared to overturn earlier council decisions to do with the proposed civic offices if the public believed they were the wrong ones.

"As long as it is not going to cost a lot of money. If it is going to be hugely costly, we need to take that into account. This is the people's money and it needs to be managed responsibly. I don't think people buy the line this is going to be rates neutral. If you borrow money you have to pay it back eventually."

Reduce cost reduce cost reduce cost............They have become the slaves of money!!! Which entreprener in the history has become successful because he/she was successful at reducing the cost of production to a minimum, no one, they all successed because of fearless investment and let the money work for THEM.

Don't forget the US Space Shuttle was built by the lowest bidder! :)

What basically needs to happen, and this applies to the whole country is political buildings exercing some kind of political function need to find the balance between looking grand (like the sorts you see in Europe) whilst also not irking the ire of the taxpayer who may shun any attempt to create some sort of palace for bureaucrats. We need some nice looking political building development and if the Government was so eager to dispense a great amount of money on that defunct Waterfront Stadium I am sure with the right thinking New Zealand can have some monuments that we can be proud of.

For example, which looks better, the http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairie_de_Paris, (without us going too frilly with architectural decoration), or some councils buildings in Auckland/Christchurch nudged between uniconic buildings ?

From that question, which would you most want to go to, take pleasure in looking at, participate in, work with etc. etc.

See this is turning into a political hotpotato for the mayroal elecitons :bash:

and at the end of the day, nothing gets done.........

I really think it is about getting the site right. I have been looking around at other cities civic buildings - we don't need something iconic, just good looking, practical, tall and reflective of the wonderful city CHC is :)

^^ Agreed, more often than not, attempts of having the "wow" factor have ended up looking ugly.

Where do you think they should build Kiss, or redevelop and what would you see as being essential to a civic site?

Well. orion site is pretty sweet, otherwise, somewhere near the city library woud be nice, i just really like the atomsphere of that area.

This thread should get HOT soon - it would be easier not to loose if we had SUBFORUMS for the 3 main cities.

The Mayor has stressed again saying there is no other option than to build a new Civic Centre!:banana:

Mr Parker agrees.

Perhaps we could get Mr Branson to build it :lol:

Perhaps we could get Mr Branson to be our next mayor:)

Perhaps they could FINALLY release some goddamn information about it haha!

Seriously, it's been years now and we don't even have so much as a site!

Perhaps the could just build a goddamn building jesus! The amount of fluffing around in this country is quite phenomenal, never have I experienced another place where wasting time seems to be the meaning of life

i vaguely remember that when the Auckland got it's new civic building some years ago (10 years ago maybe?) - I remember there being a huge stink about it. Paul Holmes did an article on it on his famed tv show.

So if Auckland council got so much stick for building what I thought was a fairly basic but sizeable office block, then I'd hate to think what is going to happen if the CCC build some massive grandoise tower?

[QUOTE=Cartel;14967685]Perhaps the could just build a goddamn building jesus! The amount of fluffing around in this country is quite phenomenal, never have I experienced another place where wasting time seems to be the meaning of life[/QUOTE


Fluffing....I haven't heard that in ages..........:lol:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6a/DANIEL2986.jpg

I've come across this picture and thought it might be worth looking and seeing what other cities in the world have for their City Halls.

Not my favorite - but this is for the 4th largest city in the USA! I'm sure there is a modern extension somewhere.

Actually i prefer the city council HQ to be intergrated organically into the surrounding downtown.

^^ What he said. that huoston one is disgusting.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ad/Buffalo_City_Hall_-_001.jpg/402px-Buffalo_City_Hall_-_001.jpg

Bit Gotham City!!

^^ sexy time!

lol that Buffalo one is huge, far too big for the city is serves...Buffalo isn't that big.
I think maybe for Chch, there could be one main prominent building for like the Council chambers etc, with other adjoining/ organically spread buildings around it to house remaining staff..all in a central city location. Now how hard can that be? LOL

I like the idea of a main, attractive and dignified building to reflect the city. It should be in the centre somewhere and help to imporve, enhance or stimulate an area to grow.

The more I think of the Press building coming up for sale, and all the high rise going on around it, I think there could be a real possibility for some imaginative thinking. It would help to continue to bring the Square alive with more than just hotels!!

Also, I'm sure the mayor would not put up with all the boy racers zooming around disturbing his/her day like they do with everyone else at the moment.

^^Yea something in Cathedral Square itself would be ideal...i mean you cant get anymore central than that!

The more I think of the Press building coming up for sale, and all the high rise going on around it, I think there could be a real possibility for some imaginative thinking. It would help to continue to bring the Square alive with more than just hotels!!



I like that old Press building. There are plenty of eyesores in (or near to) the square which should be dealt with but I'd be sad to see a character building like that go. Each to their own opinion I guess.

^^I think David means reusing/refitting the Press building, not demo'ing it

^^I think David means reusing/refitting the Press building, not demo'ing it

Absolutely!!!!!!!!

I would NEVER suggest getting rid of a heritage building:ohno: I would be one of the first to lock myself in it so the demolishion machines could not get near it. The building is protected - they could never pull it down (famous last words).

I was suggesting a combination of old and new tastefully done to make sure that part of the square stays alive and would get more lively :banana:

The building in the Square I WOULD like to see demolished is the ANZ:bash: . Now that would be another good site for a City HQ!!

Good stuff David. Yea that ANZ bldg is so bad. The BNZ across from it is pretty nice, with the use of glass and stone panels on the exterior. Its a quality build even if the design itself is kinda average. Its about the right height for bldg's in the square too.
Some pics for reference >>
ANZ bldg on right, BNZ bldg at left
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/Flyin_higher/IMG_1290.jpg
The Press bldg..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/Flyin_higher/IMG_1299.jpg

Absolutely!!!!!!!!

I would NEVER suggest getting rid of a heritage building:ohno: I would be one of the first to lock myself in it so the demolishion machines could not get near it. The building is protected - they could never pull it down (famous last words).

I was suggesting a combination of old and new tastefully done to make sure that part of the square stays alive and would get more lively :banana:

The building in the Square I WOULD like to see demolished is the ANZ:bash: . Now that would be another good site for a City HQ!!


Sorry Dave, I should have known you better than that by now.

Damn it would be good to see that ANZ building gone. I wonder if anyone has details on all the buildings which were to be built in the late 80s just before the crash happened. A lot of these buildings like the ANZ one got built as temporary placeholders on valuable central city real estate until better times arrived.

that whole area behind the press building is going to look really good in about a years time when the novotel and C5 building go up. good news for that part of the square.

yeah paulsy :lol: dave suggesting pulling down an old building:lol: i think hes our resident old building hippy:lol:

i hate that anz building. its bad bad crap.

It's not just the ANZ Building, the Telecom one is equally as shite and there is alot of crap on the north side of the square which seriously needs to be dealt with by way of death. It's pretty sad really.

It's pretty much a crime that the old Tower building is still standing

Christchurch mayoral contender: enough is enough

A positive spinoff from the Government's rates inquiry in Christchurch has been to focus the issue ahead of local body elections in October.

On Wednesday one of the two main mayoral contenders, Megan Woods, aligned with the broadly left-leaning 2021 political grouping, has pledged she "would aim to get rates increases limited to inflation before the next elections.

"Rates are currently projected to go up 26per cent in the next three years, having already gone up 20per cent in the last three years. Rates will have more than doubled (54per cent) in 6 years. Enough is enough.

"Christchurch City needs to rein in spending. I also agree with Business NZ that we can't see businesses as a cash cow."

Ms Woods said while there had been price jumps in construction and for petroleum products including roading bitumen, these did not explain rate increases at such exorbitant levels.

"A practical solution to the council's proposed new offices will be found within a maximum cap of $60 million, rather than the current $100 million-plus extravagant plan.

"The City Mall project has ballooned from $2 million to possibly $16 million. We will develop a much more modest proposal for this important part of the city.

"Marketing and public relations costs have soared, with full-page newspaper ads used to justify unpopular decisions. It is time for belt-tightening," Ms Woods said.

By contrast, the other contender, Bob Parker, has said he will review budgets with a 5per cent "starting point" but has implied he is keen to push through some of the larger expenditure items before the elections - notably the controversial proposed new council office building in the belief that citizens will reward "decisive" behaviour.

Meanwhile, Environment Canterbury chairman Kerry Burke was quick to seize on the inquiry panel's suggestions for raising money by reviving a recently defeated plan to charge a "resource rental" for taking up coastal space - ports, marinas and aquaculture or marine farms.

"This would have a significant effect on Environment Canterbury's income," Sir Kerry said.

^^ Losers. Spend money where it counts, redeveloping the city centre to an attractive business and living enviroment that we can all be proud of.

Some big news today for this project... :banana:

Council reveals site for new civic building
The Press | Thursday, 11 October 2007

REVEALED: a map shows where Christchurch City Council's new civic building will be.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/332693.jpg

UPDATED REPORT: Christchurch City councillors have chosen a site for the controversial $105 million civic building.

The council has chosen the NZ Post building in Hereford Street as its preferred site.

The site will be developed by a joint venture company Tuam2 Ltd, a company 50% owned by Council and 50% owned by Ngai Tahu Property Ltd.


The joint venture company will be responsible for developing the new building as well as its ownership.


Each partner will contribute $52.2m to the redevelopment of the building's $105m capital cost.


The building, designed for 1000 staff, will be completed in mid-2010.

The $52.2m cost to the Council is well under the $100m the council budgeted for a new civic building, Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore said.

Ngai Tahu will meet half the costs of the development and will own half the completed building.

The concept design, by Ian Athfield of Athfield Architects, includes a Civic Boulevard at street level that will run through from Worcester Boulevard to Hereford Street, and join a proposed walkway through Ngai Tahu's King Edward Barracks site and link with City Mall by the Bridge of Remembrance.

Once built, the building will be leased to the council at an initial rental of $7.5m plus GST and outgoings from 2010 which is below that already factored into the council's 2006-16 Long Term Council Community Plan for that year.

Garry Moore said he was delighted to be announcing progress on the new Civic Building at the end of his nine-year term as mayor.

"It is appropriate that this council, already committed to the new Civic Building, makes a decision on the site," he said.

Mark Solomon, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Kaiwhakahaere (chairman) said: "We are delighted to have been selected to partner the Christchurch City Council on this important building for the city. The Council and Ngai Tahu are both here for the long-haul and have an aligned vision for the city."

Vbase, which is responsible for advising Council on the new building project and its site selection, briefed councillors today on the short-listed site after a selection process.


Vbase Chief Bryan Pearson Chief Executive of Vbase said he was delighted to be working with Ngai Tahu Property Limited as a joint venture partner on the project. After the briefing councillors felt they had sufficient information to confirm their preferred site.

"This site will make a wonderful front door to the city. The proposal which involves the significant refurbishment of an existing building with considerable environmental benefits, is best suited to the city's needs and meets all the Council's terms of reference," Moore said.

"As a Council we are committed to revitalising the central city. The new Civic Building will form part of the city's cultural precinct, is close to one of the city's natural assets, the Avon River and will provide easy access for the public."

Moore said the decision for a new Civic Building was not made lightly.

The present offices in Tuam Street are cramped and poorly ventilated. The building leaks and much needed maintenance is extremely expensive. Staff are also working from various locations throughout the Central Business District which is inefficient, he said.

Council began looking at options to upgrade and enlarge the present building in 2000. After expert advice from consultants, councillors decided it was a waste of ratepayers money to invest further in the present building.

A new functional fit-for-purpose Civic Building is the most cost-effective solution, Moore said.

The new civic building will be designed as an A-grade building to engender a sense of civic pride.


:cheers:

PROS:
- The hideous NZ Post building is GOOOONE!
- The video mentions a pedestrian Blvd linkin Worcester Blvd with Hereford St... altho at this stage there's nothing much on Hereford to link with.
- Much closer to the action than the proposed site on Manchester St.

CONS:
- The overall building appears to be no taller than the existing one (if that?)
- The location - it's mostly the tourist precinct, whereas they could have brought life to the southside of the CBD. Altho since when were council renowned for 'bringing life' to anything...? so maybe the old Tuam St site can be put to better use.

All I want to know is exactly which aspect of this is costing $105m? Especially cos it's an existing building. I've got my hopes mighty high!

Then go to Media Releases ......you will find under the latest of course :lol:
Artist Impressions at the bottom of the article :banana: Sorry I can't post them from this comp ........Looks nice :banana: but not tall :ohno:

^^Done :)

Here they are...
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/MediaReleases/2007/October/View01.jpg
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/MediaReleases/2007/October/View04.jpg
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/MediaReleases/2007/October/View02.jpg
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/MediaReleases/2007/October/View03.jpg

I like it. While it's not a tall proposal, its a good design, and looks as though they are taking a 'green architecture' approach to this, which I like. Plus it has good urban design benefits, like with the pedestrian linkages etc.

I kind of forgot how well it's going to flow with the the new Art Gallery and the Club Tower... will create a whole new 'glass' precinct in the area, which then flows down into the Victorian architecure further down.

Other than the height... I'm sold so far

I also like it - timeless.

Hey, you guys were on to this fast.

I love the idea. Need to see more plans and concept drawings though.

Remember the Nagi Tahu site where the King Edward Barracks were is empty - are they planning on something big or green there? The tribe want to build a headquarters - I wonder what they will come up with?

"What is this a centre for ants!?" :lol:

I think it will be really good for the redevelopment of the Boulevard. What being right next to Club tower, the art gallery and whatever goes up at Chung Wah?? Nice. Would have prefered 24 storeys...oh well.

By CHARLIE GATES | Saturday, 13 October 2007


DON SCOTT/The PressThe new mayor of Christchurch Bob Parker and his wife Jo celebrate after his win on Saturday.


LATEST: Bob Parker is the new mayor of Christchurch after winning by nearly 15,000 votes.

Independent candidate Parker was beating his nearest rival Megan Woods by 14,410 votes with 98% of the votes counted.

Parker won 46,104 votes or 45.7% of the vote, while Woods won 31,694 votes or 31.4%.

"Parker said he was "thrilled" by the clear majority and said it proved Christchurch residents were pleased with the way council was performing.

"I feel overwhelmed. The majority was very clear ... The thing that has given me the greatest pleasure of all was to see every single councillor who stood for re-election winning their seat ... I am so thrilled to have such a good majority," he said.

Woods, who ran under the left-leaning Christchurch 2021 banner, came from relative obscurity to challenge Parker's high-profile campaign in a spirited election battle.

Woods said it was Parker's higher name recognition that won the day.

"It was always going to be a huge task for me. I started this campaign with virtually zero recognition.

"Bob started with a massive advantage that he was a known name. If you look at the results across the city you can see it is name recognition that is important,'' she said.

She also claimed credit for the last-minute surge in voting across Christchurch.

"We can take credit for the higher turnout,'' she said.

City Vision candidate Jo Giles won 14,156 votes, while street cleaner Mark Ross won 4399 votes.

Christchurch City councillor Parker is a former mayor for the Banks Peninsula District Council and led amalgamation with the city .

The turnout was boosted by a last-minute voting surge this week, with people cramming the council's Tuam Street headquarters this morning to register their vote.

Candidates Votes received
Bob Parker 46,104
Megan Woods, Christchurch 2021 31,694
Jo Giles, Christchurch City Vision 14,156
Mark Ross, The Street Cleaner 4399
Peter Wakeman 1835
Blair Anderson 860
Byron Clark, Workers Party 707
Kyle Chapman, National Democrats 673
Paulus Telfer 289
Michael Hansen, Economic Euthenics 222

You wouldn't want that big bronze thing to fall down would you? hehe I like the design.

I'm surprised that an outgoing council would pull a stunt like this in their last week in office. Shouldn't a major decision such as this be left for the new council? Even if they were all expecting to be re-elected (which I think they were) it was still wrong. I can't believe $104M is going to be eaten up just refurbishing that building. This is our rates money they're spending (which are flipping high - mine are over $50 per week).

The money spent on the new council headquarters is a drop in the bucket.. The public building that will be created will be an asset to the city and gentrify another area of the city for the good.

I'm 100% behind the former council for making the decision they did. They had been working on this one for years and had the appropriate knowledge to make the right decison. Imagine if the sour faced anti-progress Megan Woods had become mayor.... she would have wasted years of rate payer money by stalling the decision and doing what all Labour party people in power like to do... commission a 'report' on the project. She would have turned the CCC into a bureaucratic failure.

Well done Garry Moore and the former CCC councillors (most of who have been re elected) for having the balls to make the decision they did at the last hour! Christchurch ratepayers are the winners on the day.:banana:

Christchurch ratepayers are the winners on the day.:banana:

This remains to be seen. I know a lot who are unconvinced.

Hey Paulsy.. You anti progress mate? :ohno:

Christchurch needs some bold decisions like this to get things happening.

The money spent on the new council headquarters is a drop in the bucket.. The public building that will be created will be an asset to the city and gentrify another area of the city for the good.

I'm 100% behind the former council for making the decision they did. They had been working on this one for years and had the appropriate knowledge to make the right decison. Imagine if the sour faced anti-progress Megan Woods had become mayor.... she would have wasted years of rate payer money by stalling the decision and doing what all Labour party people in power like to do... commission a 'report' on the project. She would have turned the CCC into a bureaucratic failure.

Well done Garry Moore and the former CCC councillors (most of who have been re elected) for having the balls to make the decision they did at the last hour! Christchurch ratepayers are the winners on the day.:banana:

I'm with you here. The more I think of the site, area and potential, the more excited I'm getting. :banana: Lets wait and see the "real" plans...those images above were only to satisfy the media :)

^^Yeah it could work well. No love lost for me that precinct will be great in the near future, a myriad of the cities oldest and most modern buildings all sleeping together in beautiful polygamy:D

Agreed... anything that disposes of the pure ugliness that is the Post building is fine by me! They could have released renders for a giant dog turd and I'd be happy...

Hey Paulsy.. You anti progress mate? :ohno:

Christchurch needs some bold decisions like this to get things happening.

I'm saying two things:

1 - $104M is too much for a building refit.
2 - That the decision should have been left to the incoming council.

If that's your definition of anti progress then yeah, I guess I am.

I'm saying two things:

1 - $104M is too much for a building refit.
2 - That the decision should have been left to the incoming council.

If that's your definition of anti progress then yeah, I guess I am.

considering that the "new" council is essentially the old council anyway it doesnt make a rats arse difference when they made the decision, and it shouldnt have been an election issue anyway (Megan Woods/2021 couldnt make a real issue if they had a recipe book for them). UNLESS of course you are talking about the principle of it... then you kinda have a case... but the end result would have been the same... thats what im saying.

As for the $104M.... well im stuffed if i know what they are spending it on either... if it is essentially an upgrade of an existing building with some extensions then what the hell are they throwing their/our money at? Having said that we havnt seen anything detailed yet PLUS the true cost to the ratepayer is apparently only $52M the rest coming from elsewhere (dodgy dealing perhaps?).

Ultimately im not excited, but like i said we aint seen anything detailed so ill wait before i judge...

Re- Stumping , new Electrical , new Plumbing , new Plastering , new Cladding etc in many cases renovating works out more expensive than building new , whether it be a House or a Commercial Building :cheers:

http://photos.harcourts.co.nz/PI/06/PI060950_2_custom.jpg

Use your imagination everyone - I think the site is perfect. Look at the space in front of the ugly fucker...:)

What it is going to do for this part of the city :banana::banana:

You can see the crappy old Tuam Street CCC building in the top right hand corner.:ohno:

I wonder if they still wont start the build for 3 or 4 years? That was the case when they had that huge blah blah waa waa over the cost of it. Nothing yet to indicate oftherwise..

It will definitely do wonders for that whole part of the CBD :cool:

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7239/photo011408022fc6.th.jpg (http://img99.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo011408022fc6.jpg)

OK I'll play around with this some more tomorrow night when I'm a bit more awake.

This is a reminder to everyone of the ugly duckling that is about to turn into a swan. The old NZ Post headquarters in Hereford St is gonna look a damned sight better in another 2 years or so.

Yeah it will be a good transformation..

Shame they can't spruce up the police station across the road.. That building is a disgrace :ohno: It deserves to be nuked!

This part of town is ready to go off. Despite those two godawful buildings its a great and beautiful part of downtown. So funny you should say that about the copshop. They gave it a new licka paint last year. Rusty brown looks a tiny bit better than the pale pink it used to be. If the nats get in next year they can thrown heaps of money at the police, I suggest that money not go to stab proof vests but turning that building into a spunky glass behemoth.

I can remember when the copshop was actually Christchurch's tallest building, probably over a decade ago. There aren't too many cities that can bost a cop shop like ours as being one of the city's biggest buildings. Where will the new CCC building be in regards to the square, is it likely to front on the square?:lol:

Bring on the builders....carpark across road excellent development site. Good for values at Elmo apts next door. Interesting Billboard?

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/Mikecnz/DSC_0292.jpg

It's going to be very interesting to see the detailed outside plans for this building. I believe they are very keen to have some sort of grand predestrian way from this side of the building through to the Bridge of Rememberance, thus linking the city in a more fluid type of way. It's all horrid around this spot at the moment (it use to be the King Edward VII Barricks), but it's going to be fantastic in the near future.

The St Elmo Building is fantastic, except for that added top bit. They should get rid of it.

Just one swallow:lol:.....is that all it takes??:puke::uh:

Looking at that shot I cant believe they ever built that monstrous munter of a building next to the handsome St Elmos apartments. What were they thinking? This update is my number one exciting project for the city right now. Even more than the high rises. There'll also be a pedestrian walk way on the north side linking it to Worcester Boulevard going past the Club Tower. Might be a good little attractive piazza for the city.

^^^^You have no idea how much I miss that Canterbury Sky...it's so vast and clear.................

If the redesign of this building and the area around it comes off, it's going to be stunning. The whole historic quarter of CHC will come buzzing into life hopefully with more cafes,shops and resturants can't wait to see the plans.

From this....

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/NewCivicBuilding/PhotoGallery/images/7.jpg

To this...

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Council/NewCivicBuilding/PhotoGallery/images/5.jpg

Not much of a change but it certainly makes a difference. Wouldn't cost much either so the rate payers will be happy.

^^Well that's only one side of the building, the other, Worcester Blvd side will be total glass.

24 July 2008

Today’s Christchurch City Council meeting approved a five-metre extension to the Worcester Boulevard façade of the new Civic Building and three partial mezzanine floors to accommodate another 200 staff.

Council’s original 2004 design brief for the new building was reviewed and found to be incorrect, the new Civic Building needing to accommodate 1116 and not 1000 staff as was in the original brief, Mayor Bob Parker said.

"The architects were asked by the CEO Tony Marryatt to look at the feasibility of accommodating all Council staff within the central city on the one site and it was prudent Council considered these changes.

"The additional 3266sqm of floor space will increase the annual rental of the building by $733,776 to $8.2 million. This amount is $179,224 less than the rental allowed for in the LTCCP plus the rental currently paid to house the Capital Programme Group and lease an external training facility."

Mr Parker said the combination of the increase in the net internal area and tenant variations had resulted in a reduction in rental form $404.47 per square metre to $377 per square metre.

"It is important to understand Council did not have to increase the floor space but it was considered good business practice and common sense to have all staff located in the one building within the central business district.

"It was also practical and the most cost effective option to be undertaking this work now as part of the redevelopment rather than in the future."

Mr Parker said after years of staff operating from a number of sites peppered throughout the central city, it would be good to bring everyone together when Council moves to its new home in mid 2010.

24 July 2008

Christchurch’s new Civic Building will generate its own electricity and provide its own heating and cooling from a renewable energy source.

Today’s Council meeting adopted installing a biogas pipeline from the Burwood landfill and the wastewater treatment plant to the new Civic Building in Hereford Street and a state-of-the-art tri-generation plant.

"The biogas will be used to provide all heating and cooling requirements for the new Civic Building, all heating for the adjacent Christchurch Art Gallery and most of the electricity for the Civic Building," says Mayor Bob Parker.

"It will cost Council about $3.3 million to install but will be paid back within three years and save Council more than $1.3 million annually in energy costs."

Council already owns its own source of biogas which is used to successfully provide heating and electricity for the QEII complex.

Mr Parker says not only does using the biogas reduce methane greenhouse gas emissions from the waste stream but substantially reduces reliance on fuel sources which omit greenhouse gases.

"Tri-generation is the simultaneous production of electricity, heating and cooling from a single energy source."

With tri-generation, the waste heat of the electric generation process is transformed into cooling energy by an absorption chiller, and then the waste heat from the chiller is used for heating.

He says installation of a tri-generation plant would substantially help the new Civic Building to achieve at least a 5 Green Star rating, and possibly 6, for the building’s design.

^^Sounds great!

It's great a redevelopment for a Council Chambers.. I wish in aussie, my city, rocky could have a nice Council Chambers

They want to be housed by mid 2010. Is there any sign of development going on?

Also, I wonder what the plan is going to look like on the southern side of the building, I really hope it is a great plazza that will sweap down to the river, have fountains, gardens and be a real people space.

http://photos.harcourts.co.nz/PI/06/PI060950_2_custom.jpg

I'm really excitied about this whole area and the developments and potential developments :banana:

They want to be housed by mid 2010. Is there any sign of development going on?

Also, I wonder what the plan is going to look like on the southern side of the building, I really hope it is a great plazza that will sweap down to the river, have fountains, gardens and be a real people space.

How can it sweep down to the river? The canterbury club and the old historic library are in the way plus i think it 'sweeps' down to worcester blvd... I havnt been down here in a while but im sure nothing is going on, must say this part of town will look great once all the projects are complete... this whole area is prob my favourite in the Chch CBD and prob one of my favourite urban spaces in NZ...

Where the would the pedestrian way run and whats the location of the plaza?

All sounds very good.

How can it sweep down to the river? The canterbury club and the old historic library are in the way plus i think it 'sweeps' down to worcester blvd... I havnt been down here in a while but im sure nothing is going on, must say this part of town will look great once all the projects are complete... this whole area is prob my favourite in the Chch CBD and prob one of my favourite urban spaces in NZ...

I use sweep in the broad sense of the word sensible!

I the the King Edward barracks sight is used and developed, as it has been mentioned, as a plaza area with a broad walk way to the Bridge of Rememberance, the feeling would be that of linking the Civic Chambers with the Avon. The whole idea of the cities Quarters, Districts, Percincts all merging and flowing into each is a important factor in the regeneration of a lively dynamic city centre. :)

^^ yeah but isnt the King Edward barracks site owned by Ngai Tahu... and actually located the next block over cut off from the civic building by the Police station? Anyway walked past there in the rain today and its going to look great anyway what with the club tower, and hopefully that new hotel plus the art gallery and the gallery apartment tower... love that area

From what I have "heard" and read, Ngai Tahu are very much in on the planning and development area. Hence a hold being put on the development of the new headquarters for the tribe. It would make sense for them to develope a building and complex that would be developed in with the new civic area, giving them a very promenant place in the city.

I could see a plaza area surrounded by interesting buildings giving rivalry to the Square.

It' all rather exciting :)

http://www.nbr.co.nz/files/article-images/civicbuilding_fmt.jpeg:lol::banana:

^^Haha your right about that marky ;) Bring on the construction team!

The work has started on the Council Hq. Someone in chc needs to put a photo or two up please. Hawkins is the one building it!

^^Excellent! Get those cameras snapping guys :)

Snapping:banana:

:banana:SNAP SNAP:banana:

The work has started on the Council Hq.

Maybe it has but I havent noticed anything going on. I walk past it daily on Hereford Street so maybe the work is taking place on Worcester Blvd side?

Maybe it has but I havent noticed anything going on. I walk past it daily on Hereford Street so maybe the work is taking place on Worcester Blvd side?

Like ML says...........I didn't see anything going on, and we both walked by the place last Saturday - hopefully we just missed the obvious :)

Aparently they are working inside gutting the whole building out. Also removing all of the post machinery and sorting equipment. A lot of the work will be hidden from view from the public until they start the re-cladding of the exterior walls.

^^Makes sense, there is alot internal demo work to do

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g226/DavidEugene/266.jpg?t=1231855925

A crane has been erected on site! From home I could see it peeking over the building already. Saw it this morning thinking- 'surely that wasn't there yesterday?'

^^^^Woo Hoo :banana::banana::banana::banana:

This is going to be interesting..................

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g226/DavidEugene/266.jpg?t=1231855925

Just to let you all know - I took this picture from one of the exhibition spaces in the city gallery.

My next big thing is..............what do you think is going to happen to that horrid weather board council housing building in the right hand corner. I mean - that must be sitting on one of the most valuable plots of land in the city :nuts:

That funny little student flat place looks really out of place on this block. Will do even more so when the plaza is complete right next door to it. Council workers could sit there in the sun lunching with a great view of some dudes grots.

Personally I would like to see it replaced with a proper apartment building. Imagine having that as your address, just across the road from museum, arts centre.

I was told this building will have two more floors added to it. Maybe everyone knows this but I was happy with that news. Even with that addition it will still be stretching to fit in all the councils workers apparently.

I had no idea that was a block of council flats. I have a Brazilian friend living in one of those flats with 4 other Brazilians, all on their working holiday. Interesting to know working holiday makers qualified for council flats.

Any news on the Chung Wah 2 site across the road?

Looks like it is going full speed ahead now! Why they have such a huge crane, I don't know, but they have removed all the windows on one side, and there is some steel structures inside.
Photos:
the huge crane, possibly more than 100m:
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6595/img0034cropbm3.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2009-01-21
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3510/img0002jg0.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2009-01-21(ignore date)

Windowless:
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8274/img0005vq1.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2009-01-21

Another angle:
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2196/img0009nt0.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2009-01-21

Love it how the crane is in the center of the building.... or at least I think it is? Haven't actually viewed the adjacent side yet. They really are ripping the shit out of this one now, and at a decent pace too. Pics by the end of the week geezers.

Looking good...this one will really complement Club Tower next door.

Those ugly arsed panels are coming down at a rate of knots. You can now see right through the building.

From the south you get real sneak peak views of the Club Tower through the shell of this building.

Its crazy and I cant believe Im saying this but part of me will miss the horrendousness of this building. !

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/RodriguezOrejuela/IMG_0577.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/RodriguezOrejuela/IMG_0575.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/RodriguezOrejuela/IMG_0505.jpg

so am i right in assuming that they scrapped the idea for a whole new building in favour of retro fitting this nasty one?

so am i right in assuming that they scrapped the idea for a whole new building in favour of retro fitting this nasty one?


Why don't you pay attention to this thread....

it may even answer your question. :nuts:

so am i right in assuming that they scrapped the idea for a whole new building in favour of retro fitting this nasty one?

Yip......and it should be nice to.

What is exciting is the development of this clump of buildings.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/RodriguezOrejuela/IMG_0505.jpg

The difference already is just amazing.

I wonder what the extra two leaves they are planning of building will look like?

Windows are starting to go on
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8743/chchskyline262shrink.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett), shot with Canon PowerShot A460 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=Canon+PowerShot+A460&make=Canon) at 2009-05-15

Nice render

http://www.rcp.co.nz/images/projects/chch-civic.jpg

Very, I'm bit concerned about the rest of the building though...seems the sides and south side of the building will not be changing a hell of a lot....??

I like the public plaza part of the building quite a lot - it looks good! As far as the building itself goes, I'll wait to see the finished product before passing judgement.

Nice find ML - I too love the Plaza, especially the scattered cubes ;)

lots of windows on the south side, and the structure on the other side looks largely complete.
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5711/newcouncilbuildings.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett), shot with Canon PowerShot SX10 IS (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=Canon+PowerShot+SX10+IS&make=Canon) at 2009-07-26
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8245/newcouncilbuilding.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett), shot with Canon PowerShot SX10 IS (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=Canon+PowerShot+SX10+IS&make=Canon) at 2009-07-26

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8245/newcouncilbuilding.jpg

....about the "White House". Developers are wanting to buy the land for another office tower, but the CCC (althouth they are denying it) ^^^^ are blocking it's sale to anyone else but themselves.

A - because it's prime sight.

B - because they don't want the views of the Alps blocked out by another hight rise!!!!

Nice render

http://www.rcp.co.nz/images/projects/chch-civic.jpg

I really hope they are going to have those trees on the upper floors. I love high or hanging gardens :banana::banana:

Also, yesterdays paper had an advert calling for applicants to run a cafe with indoor and outdoor service based on the ground floor.................watch this space :lol: Things are happening.

Completion date for the building is August 2010.

Hi all, I just thought I would share some pics of new council HQ. By the way, this is my first ever msg and pics on SSC. I took these pics about a week or so back on my iPhone when out with my partner.
http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/buildings/IMG_0008.jpg[/IMG]
http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/buildings/IMG_0019.jpg[/IMG]
http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/buildings/IMG_0015.jpg[/IMG]

Thankyou for the update and welcome to SSC! It is much appreciated. :cheers:

Indeed - welcome chcdesign your pictures are great - ton's more please.

I can't get over how good it's starting to look!! :)

Nice render

http://www.rcp.co.nz/images/projects/chch-civic.jpg

Look at this image of the entrance..................

Now look at the board in the front of the picture there and compare it to the image above............

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/buildings/IMG_0008.jpg

I like this one :banana:

I'm wonder also what is going to happen to the white house? It wont be there for long.

Also, would the council in some way want to take over the new club tower and incorporate that into a civic complex in the future???????????????

They glass looks really cheap, and the other sides of the building look very much the same, not too impressed with this one so far guys.

The glass has that greenish tinge to it like the Club Tower.........once construction is done and the landscaping is complete, I'm sure it will look really good.

Hey Cartel - any chance of you getting down there with your big lens and shooting us some detailed shot??? ;)

It is definitely a huge improvement over what was there.
the police building needs a recladding as well.
I will try go in, maybe tomorrow, with my camera.

It is definitely a huge improvement over what was there.
the police building needs a recladding as well.
I will try go in, maybe tomorrow, with my camera.

Good boy!!:):cheers:

The glass has that greenish tinge to it like the Club Tower.........once construction is done and the landscaping is complete, I'm sure it will look really good.
Hey Cartel - any chance of you getting down there with your big lens and shooting us some detailed shot??? ;)

You're probably right, I suspect it wont end up as good as the renders, we wait!

No can do buddy, I'll be sweating balls in SE Asia for a while yet :)

The Press

An artwork by the man who created the Chalice sculpture in Cathedral Square has been selected for the new Christchurch civic offices.

A large sculpture of a feather by Christchurch artist Neil Dawson has been selected as one of possibly three works for the new building.

Ripples and Feather was completed in 1989 and features a five-metre long feather suspended in the air and a five-metre diameter set of ripples that appear to merge with the wall.

The sculpture was displayed in the Christchurch Art Gallery exhibition, Art School 125, in 2007.

The feather sculpture will be installed near the escalators in the public lobby of the new $113 million civic building. The former mail centre on Worcester St is due for completion in August next year.

Christchurch city councillors approved a $200,000 budget to fund art for the building's public spaces in February.

A group of councillors, council staff and art experts has overseen the selection of artworks for the building.

The working party is looking into a piece for the debating chamber and a possible third artwork.

Christchurch Art Gallery director Jenny Harper and Neil Dawson declined to comment until an official announcement on the artworks.

^^
nice, I like his artworks.:)

heres another update, I took these pics on 05/12/09, and a perfect day out and about I must say. Its coming along nicely. It certainly looks a hell of a lot better than the all concrete monster that it used to be.

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0214.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0215.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0192.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0222.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0204.jpg

Great pictures - thanks for these chchdesign - keep them coming.

I must say, it's getting a realy eclectic mix of buildings in this part of town. Isn't it great that Christchurch is finally growing up and getting distinct area's around the CBD with their own particular feel....................

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0214.jpg

...the white house :lol::lol::nuts: - will get pulled down and they will build a put a contempary garden space in there for the public. Another building on that spot would spoil it.

Thanks for posting the photos CHCH Design. Yes I agree that old white house looks awful there so out of place around office buildings, someone should run a bulldozer through it. Hands up! I'll do it!

the entrance is coming along nicely

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0262.jpg

Christchurch's $113 million civic centre project is "on time and on budget".

The new roof on the former New Zealand Post building in Hereford St went up before Christmas, and the first 90 construction workers returned this week. Their numbers will reach 250 within a fortnight.

They have six months to fulfil the vision of project partners Ngai Tahu and the Christchurch City Council, which are each contributing $56.5m.

Before October's local body elections, the glass-clad structure – a far cry from the brutalist-style architecture of the old building – will house more than 1000 council staff.

Ngai Tahu property development manager Gordon Craig said he could see "real progress" since his visit a month ago.

"What we can say is that we're on time and we're on budget," he said.

He praised the council for insisting on an array of environmentally friendly features.

Biogas from the Burwood landfill will drive an electricity plant on the roof and will be installed on February 18.

The 185,000-litre rainwater tanks will collect water for flushing toilets and irrigating planters while a solar system will provide about 85 per cent of the building's hot water. These measures will shave more than $1m from the council's annual power bill.

Even the lifts generate their own power on their reverse cycles.

Craig said the finished building would be one "that other cities will be quite envious of".

Council chief executive Tony Marryatt, Mayor Bob Parker and other executive staff will get prime views across the city from the sixth floor.

Craig said the project was the first public-private partnership of its type in the country and a good example of how the two sectors could work together.

Final commissioning will be in late July and a blessing is planned for mid-August, with an official opening to follow.

The first council staff will relocate from their Tuam St offices from August 23, with the first council meeting in the new chambers later that month.

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1262819017/441/3212441.gif

very good Davee

the entrance is coming along nicely

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/chch%20pics%202/IMG_0262.jpg

I wonder what those big blobby bits are?? Do you think that's the new Council Chamber????

Might be some heat transfer device for heating the building

Christchurch’s new Civic Building has been awarded the highest possible rating for environmental design by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The New Zealand Green Building Council has announced today that the joint venture –Ngai Tahu Property and Christchurch City Council – Civic Building has been awarded the maximum six Green Star Office Design rating, achieving a record 83 points under the Green Star rating system.

“With six Green Stars and 83 points we have designed the greenest building in New Zealand,” says Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker. “This represents significant annual energy and cost savings for our ratepayers and reflects the Council’s commitment to creating a sustainable future for our community and the region.”

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon says Ngāi Tahu Property and the Council are continuing to demonstrate levels of excellence that can be achieved with a public-private joint venture. “The Council and Ngāi Tahu Property are on the cusp of completing a building that we can all feel justifiably proud of.”

Work on the building remains on time and on budget, with the Council beginning to move into the renovated and refurbished Hereford Street premises from 13 August.

Green Star is a national, voluntary environmental rating scheme that evaluates the environmental attributes and performance of New Zealand’s buildings. It was developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) in partnership with the building industry.

Mayor Parker says sustainability was a prime consideration for the new building for both partners. Early in the process it was agreed the design needed to adhere to the guiding principles of the Green Star rating system.

Chair of the Civic Building Joint Venture Gill Cox says the council was hoping for at least five stars. “It’s great to have exceeded expectations by achieving a Six Star rating within the approved budget.”

The Green Star system evaluates the environmental attributes and performance of buildings in nine categories – management, indoor environment quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land use and ecology, emissions and innovation – to assess its environmental impact. This process is managed by the New Zealand Green Building Council; developers having to submit detailed submissions for assessment.

One of the outstanding features of the new Civic Building is the installation of a tri-generation system. The system means the building generates its own electricity from a renewable energy source – biogas. This is piped from the Council’s Burwood landfill site – and in future years from the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant – and converted into electricity. This process is used to heat and cool the building with annual energy savings of about $1.3 million.

Additional energy savings come from energy-efficient light fittings, automatic daylight dimming, occupancy controls and sensors on the escalators, which will activate only when people approach, and regeneration capabilities on the lifts.

To the north, the building has a double-skin façade and between is a thermal and solar buffering zone. This façade will also be used to vent air and heat from the building, enhancing its thermal properties. Within the office floors a monitoring system detects when carbon dioxide (CO²) has reached a certain level and automatically introduces fresh air through floor vents.

All materials used in the building have been chosen for their low environmental impact such as low emission paints, carpets, adhesives and sealants, and a 60 per cent reduction in the use of PVC, contributing to a healthy working environment.

Rainwater harvesting is expected to provide one million litres of water annually. It will be used to flush the toilets, for landscape irrigation and a water feature. Solar power will provide 85 per cent of the building’s hot water.

The decision to reuse an old building rather than build from scratch represented an embodied energy saving of 65,700 gigajoules – equivalent to a saving of 6440 tonnes of CO² emissions or 12,800 return flights from Christchurch to Auckland.

The target for waste recycling from the building was 70 per cent. In January 2010, the project was achieving 88 per cent recycling for demolition and construction materials – a phenomenal achievement by contractors Hawkins Construction.

Mark Solomon says, “The building will provide the council with a front door that will show residents and visitors alike what it means to be truly sustainable and visionary.”

Mr Parker says, “We’ve taken an unattractive building and transformed it. It is my expectation that we will see more and more refurbished and redeveloped buildings in New Zealand meeting these extraordinarily high Green Star standards, but it is wonderful to be the top achiever.”

Mr Cox extended his congratulations to everyone involved including Ngāi Tahu Property Development Manager Gordon Craig and the project consultants, Athfield Architects, Powell Fenwick Consultants, Rider Levett Bucknall, RCP and Ecubed Building Workshop, together with the contractors Hawkins Construction.

Has the crane gone now from this building?

I think it has, I couldn't see it from uni yesterday.
I guess that means that the tower crane at UC is the only one left now (apart from the occasional crawler or mobile crane sticking up).

I would imagine the Press Precinct crane won't be too far away though!

I saw a rather long hole boring machine at the press site yesterday.

The entrance around the back is coming along now. Also work is under way on the front ramp area opposite the Art Gallery. So its quite busy there at the moment.

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0496.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0498.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0500.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0505.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0507.jpg

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0508.jpg

Thanks for the photos so not long to be finished

some photos I took yesterday. looks nearly finished, and quite good as well.:)
http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/247/po2.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4667/po5j.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7554/po3m.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9169/po4.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7573/po1x.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02

Nice update!

Driving past this, it looks like the entrance to the building on Hereford st comes out onto the footpath more than it should. Anyone know anything about this?

Driving past this, it looks like the entrance to the building on Hereford st comes out onto the footpath more than it should. Anyone know anything about this?

Could it be in anticipation of Hereford St being done up? Wider foot paths, trees, cafes, gardens, etc.........?

You're right. It spills on to the road...

http://i41.tinypic.com/301o68l.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7573/po1x.jpg
By mattbennett (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mattbennett) at 2010-05-02
From this angle, I think it's disgusting.

^^+1

If it was a full glass building it'd look amazing..

I agree Rooty - the make-up hasn't covered up the ugliness!

it is an improvement though.

I'm wondering why they have the bare concrete on the new part rather than using the original concrete stone panels, which would have matched with the older part better.

I think the glass north face of the building looks excellent... the sides and back I think are still a big let down. I would have thought that they would have perhaps covered all the bare concrete panels with shiny steel panels somehow.

I think the glass north face of the building looks excellent... the sides and back I think are still a big let down. I would have thought that they would have perhaps covered all the bare concrete panels with shiny steel panels somehow.

Yes, concidering the East side faces onto such a public/tourist world. You would have thought they would have made some sort of feature of it? Still........we can only but hope.

http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af89/kiwichch/council%20building/IMG_0498.jpg

...what is going to happen to that eyesore of a house?

It's kinda like that old Chinese lady who stopped all the developers in Shanghi from building because she wouldn't get out of her home during the time they were clearing the slums :lol:

What could go in it's place - a garden/park? Another building?

If you look on google maps - there is a Horrid great carpark behind that house to the right...........another example of how car ridden CHC is :ohno::ohno:

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1273749210/843/3695843.jpg

The rent bill for the Christchurch City Council's new "green" civic building equates to nearly $7000 a year for every staff member.

Figures released to The Press under the Official Information Act show the council will pay $8.2 million annually to rent the Hereford St building for the next 24 years. Up to 1220 staff will work in the $113m civic centre by September.

The council effectively has a 96-year tenure on the property as its contract includes three rights of renewals of 24 years each.

Ratepayers could potentially pay more than $1 billion to rent the property over the next century, when rent reviews and inflation are included.

The former post office building has been extensively redeveloped in a joint venture between a council company, Civic Building, and Ngai Tahu Property, which shared the costs.

Half the rent money will go to Civic Building to service a $56.5m loan from the council.

The "green" features in the building, which has been rated as the country's most sustainable, include sensor-controlled escalators and solar-powered water heating.

Approval for the new civic centre was one of the last acts of the previous council under mayor Garry Moore, with councillors voting 12-1 for it behind closed doors.

Mayor Bob Parker said the building was a "superb site" that would enhance the vitality of the central city.

He said the council had negotiated the best possible deal on the lease, and its role as a partner in the joint venture would benefit ratepayers.

The purpose-built offices would be more appropriate for council staff as the current building was cramped and a "rabbit warren", he said.

Mayoral candidate Jim Anderton said the building was one of several expensive projects that had increased the council's debt levels while it neglected the community.

"When you look at the money they've had for property developers, flower shows and their own building, it compares very badly with their lack of support for the most vulnerable citizens in the city."

He said it was "not a good look" for the council to be operating in a costly building while people "really in need of assistance" were not receiving adequate support.

Colliers International managing director Hamish Doig said the civic offices would become the city's most expensive commercial building, and the rent would be among the highest.

The $113m price tag was more than double that of the next highest valued building – the $51.7m PricewaterhouseCoopers tower in Armagh St.

The only building whose rent compared with the civic offices was the new five-star HSBC tower in Worcester Boulevard, which he understood had rents of between $350 and $375 a square metre. The civic centre rental is about $377 a square metre.

Council corporate services manager Paul Anderson said the council had lent Civic Building $56.5m to pay its share of the development.

The company paid the council $5.5m annually to service the 30-year loan while receiving half the building's rent – $4.2m – to service the debt.

Within 14 years, the difference between its annual loan bill and rent revenue would be "cash-flow positive".

The building will open on Monday, August 23, with 1183 staff. The number will rise to 1220 by the end of September.

A mini plaza being built on the Hereford Street entrance. Actually looks like it will spill out onto the street itself. Must say now its taking shape the south face of this building (although not fully glass like the north) is looking considerably better.

Anybody else notice the extra height? The two extra floors have blended in well.

I have seen an aerial photo and the roof looks the same maybe they squeezed in extra floors while leaving the roof alone as the height is still the same. The building has gone from 8 levels to 10 there must have been a lot of waisted space right under the roof when it was built for the post office.

The Press

Christchurch's mayoress will get her own space in the new civic building.

However, Mayor Bob Parker yesterday said the "little spare space" next to his office on the top floor of the $113 million Hereford St property would not be exclusively used by his wife, Jo Nicholls-Parker.

"It won't be a mayoress office as such, but one that will have a number of different uses," he said.

Parker hoped his wife "gets some space" to carry out her duties, as well as continuing to "support me as she does now".

She could use the office to answer mail, handle inquiries, carry out charitable trust work and "any other duties expected of the mayoress".

The office was connected to the mayor's office, and was next to office space designated for the deputy mayor.

Nicholls-Parker's role in council business was questioned last week after it emerged she attended breakfast meetings with her husband and council chief executive Tony Marryatt.

I have seen an aerial photo and the roof looks the same maybe they squeezed in extra floors while leaving the roof alone as the height is still the same. The building has gone from 8 levels to 10 there must have been a lot of waisted space right under the roof when it was built for the post office.

Most likely there were a couple of floors that had extra height to handle postal sorting machines,

The Press

Christchurch's mayoress will get her own space in the new civic building.

However, Mayor Bob Parker yesterday said the "little spare space" next to his office on the top floor of the $113 million Hereford St property would not be exclusively used by his wife, Jo Nicholls-Parker.

"It won't be a mayoress office as such, but one that will have a number of different uses," he said.

Parker hoped his wife "gets some space" to carry out her duties, as well as continuing to "support me as she does now".

She could use the office to answer mail, handle inquiries, carry out charitable trust work and "any other duties expected of the mayoress".

The office was connected to the mayor's office, and was next to office space designated for the deputy mayor.

Nicholls-Parker's role in council business was questioned last week after it emerged she attended breakfast meetings with her husband and council chief executive Tony Marryatt.

great news these days..

The Press

The first monthly rent cheque of nearly $700,000 for Christchurch's new civic building will be paid in a fortnight.

The Christchurch City Council takes possession of its new Hereford St headquarters on August 13.

Half the rent money will go to a council company, Civic Building, to service a $56.5 million loan from the council to fund its share of the redevelopment costs with Ngai Tahu.

The annual rent is $8,233,776, meaning the council will pay $686,148 monthly.

The rent bill equated to nearly $7000 a year for every staff member to be housed in the new property.

The council has signed a 24-year lease. Its contract allowed for three rights of renewals of 24 years each, which effectively gives a 96-year tenure.

The council and Ngai Tahu both spent $56.5m on redeveloping the former Post Office site.

The building will open on August 23, with 1183 staff. That will rise to 1220 by the end of September. A public open day has been planned for September 4.

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The new Christchurch civic building was given its new Maori name at a dawn blessing ceremony this morning.

The building was named Te Hononga in a ceremony at 6am attended by the Maori king, Tuheitia Paki, local leaders and industry figures.

The two-and-a-half hour blessing was led by Rev Maurice Manawaroa Gray and included the unveiling of a specially carved Pouwhenua (carved post) at the Worcester Boulevard entrance and a carved pounamu stone in the new building's atrium.

The literal translation of Te Hononga is "the joining". The name was chosen to mark the deal between Ngai Tahu and the Christchurch City Council to build the new civic headquarters.

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The new Christchurch civic building could be a model for delivering billions of dollars of Government infrastructure through partnerships between Maori and Pakeha, an iwi leader says.

Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon used the dawn blessing of the Christchurch City Council's new Worcester Boulevard headquarters yesterday to outline the iwi's possible partnership role in big infrastructure projects.

The former mail centre has been redeveloped as part of a $113 million joint venture between the council and Ngai Tahu Properties.

Solomon said similar deals could help deliver the new infrastructure the Government wants to build using public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Finance Minister Bill English yesterday announced a new policy requiring government agencies to consider PPPs for any new infrastructure project costing more than $25m.

Treasury figures show the Crown plans to spend about $30b on infrastructure over the next four years.

"I think it is a no-brainer," Solomon said."We are the perfect partner for the Crown. The Crown is looking to PPPs for infrastructure, and iwi will definitely be involved. This is the first time ever the council and an iwi have done this. This sends the signal that this is what an iwi and the council can do together."

The 2 1/2-hour ceremony was attended by the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, Mayor Bob Parker and local leaders.

The head of the joint-venture company that built the offices, Gill Cox, said the building had been transformed.

Once seen as an "ugly duckling" it had been "transformed into the white swan we see around us".

Jim anderton is such a negative man full of contradictions and hypocrisy. He is complaining about the coat of the building and that the money would have been better spent on social spending. Well ive got a message for Jim..It's not up to me as a ratepayer to support welfarism. I pay income tax for that sort of stuff. Maybe you should think twice about your own spending and put your money where your mouth is! I consider a $100000 month trip to Europe with $1200 pizza restaurant meals and $3000 massages total extravagance! That money could have gone a long way to helping poor families.

Once seen as an "ugly duckling" it had been "transformed into the white swan we see around us".

Yeah i dunno bout that, sure it looks great from Worcester st but from hereford...ummm

i think its fantastic what they have done but i will always wonder what 120 million could look like from scratch

Hey - Luka and I have just been sitting here looking at it and think it looks bloody brilliant - well done Bob and co :banana::banana::banana:

So thats another project nearly finished not much new work for the builders of CHCH on the horizon. Many blokes will be out of work in the comming months.

The rest of the building still looks like a dogs ass, it's only the Worcester st side that looks nice and new.

Other than the Worcester St side, this thing is a Frankenstein which doesn't look remotely purpose-built. It looks like it was designed by a builder/engineer with a "she'll be right - it'll look fine" attitude - an architect not having gone anywhere near it. It also looks like typical Kiwi-style "doing things on the cheap", which is ironic.

I think given time, it'll be viewed as one great big cock up, given $113 million spent on a new building could've made something which did much more for the surrounding area, even if it had to be a bit less flash building overall (it would at least look purpose-built then).

They had the opportunity to wipe out the ugliness of the Mail Centre and they didn't take it. The crass aluminium-clad top as seen above St Elmo Courts from Hereford St looking East really ruined the streetscape in one of the most important parts of Chch. I'd need another look to be sure, but I think they even made it WORSE! (I was sitting in the YMCA Robert Harris courtyard the other day cringing, thinking how much it ruined the view.)

I think the Hereford St side could be improved if they covered all the concrete panels between the windows with glossy black fiberglass boxes - extending slightly higher to the top of the beam, and lower to the bottom. The SW and SE corners of the building, and the W and E sides would still need major work to look presentable.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the building when I am at home in November, so I will reserve my judgement tilll then. The one thing I love is that stream of water running down to the Maori totum pole thingy on Worcester Blvd. I only hope that dickheads don't go messing it up.

I don't think the west and east sides have been touched at all in the refurbishment.

Other than the Worcester St side, this thing is a Frankenstein which doesn't look remotely purpose-built. It looks like it was designed by a builder/engineer with a "she'll be right - it'll look fine" attitude - an architect not having gone anywhere near it. It also looks like typical Kiwi-style "doing things on the cheap", which is ironic.

I think given time, it'll be viewed as one great big cock up, given $113 million spent on a new building could've made something which did much more for the surrounding area, even if it had to be a bit less flash building overall (it would at least look purpose-built then).

They had the opportunity to wipe out the ugliness of the Mail Centre and they didn't take it. The crass aluminium-clad top as seen above St Elmo Courts from Hereford St looking East really ruined the streetscape in one of the most important parts of Chch. I'd need another look to be sure, but I think they even made it WORSE! (I was sitting in the YMCA Robert Harris courtyard the other day cringing, thinking how much it ruined the view.)

I think the Hereford St side could be improved if they covered all the concrete panels between the windows with glossy black fiberglass boxes - extending slightly higher to the top of the beam, and lower to the bottom. The SW and SE corners of the building, and the W and E sides would still need major work to look presentable.


You're right they have fucked up monumentaly with this one.

Went on a tour of the new CCC building this evening... Despite what has been said and the horrendously steep price, I was impressed. Inside is pretty beautiful and will provide excellent space for the council staff - easily some of the best space in Christchurch, better than the IRD space.

The mezzanine floors they've squeezed in are only small and only in the corners of the office floors, so your regular office worker will have amazing double height ceilings, and with the air-conditioning and cabling under-floor it is very uncluttered. Although it would be a little disconcerting walking down the North stairs seeing hundreds of workers in an open-plan, floor upon floor...

They were still putting finishing touches on most of the office fit-out, but come MOnday you'll be able to have coffee in the public lobby's cafe - I definitely suggest those who can check it out.

Hhhhmmmmm.

I might go check this out sometime over the weekend. Until then I reserve my final judgement. Regardless from here where I sit I can see the building and it looks a million times better than the hulking mass that was the NZ Post sorting rooms. Nice to see a bit more activity move to my part of town too.

The new Christchurch Civic Building – home for the Christchurch City Council and named Te Hononga – was opened today (Saturday 28 August) by the Governor-General of New Zealand, Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand.
More than 150 guests attended the event to share in the celebration of the 50/50 joint venture redevelopment of the former New Zealand Post Mail Centre by the Council and Ngāi Tahu Property – the first public/iwi partnership development in New Zealand.

Sir Anand said the new Civic Building spoke of history and heritage and it was fitting that 160 years after the first British settlers arrived in Christchurch that the two strands of the region’s heritage had come together in the new Civic building as a joint venture.

“The opening of these Civic offices speaks of more than merely bricks and mortar. At a business level, it emphasises innovation and an expectation of improved service.

“Bringing Council’s affairs under the one roof should result in efficiencies and provide ratepayers and residents with enhanced access to Council services.”

He praised all those who had been involved in the project and in particular for their work in making the new Civic Building the most environmentally sustainable building in New Zealand.

“The Christchurch City Council’s new civic offices speak of modernity, but also of history, heritage and partnership.”

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said today’s opening was a proud day for Christchurch, not only for its residents, but also for the 1250 staff who have for many years worked in cramped, poorly lit and poorly ventilated conditions from a variety of locations within the central city.

“The Council began its search for a new home in 2004, finally settling on the Ngāi Tahu Property proposal for the redevelopment of the late 1970s-built New Zealand Post Mail Centre in 2007. The building had great bones which Athfield Architects have taken and created this magnificent building you see before you today. ”

He said it took 21 months and 630,000 man hours to demolish the interior and redevelop the building – “that equates to the average working lives of 7.3 New Zealanders”.

“More than 2014 people worked on site, with 98 per cent of the trades staff being from Canterbury. This injected millions of dollars into our community at a time when the recession was starting to impact on our economy.

“Importantly, the development was finished on time and within budget – a phenomenal achievement for all involved and I congratulate everyone for your commitment to this project which has been a true partnership reflecting the building’s name Te Hononga, meaning joining together.”

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu CEO Anake Goodall said the theme of partnership and unity were woven through the building from the pouwhenua Te Pou Herenga Waka to the Hereford Street mural Tuhituhi Whenua which recognised the different heritages of Māori and Pākehā.

“As Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon said at the blessing ceremony: ‘we have here Te Hononga – half owned by every resident of this city and half owned by mana whenua, the members of Ngāi Tahu. So in both a commercial and moral sense Ngāi Tahu joins with the residents of Christchurch to create both an inspiring and secure place for the public servants of this city’.”

Mr Goodall said it was important that the redevelopment of the building had been managed to reduce the impact on the environment. “This echoes our strong commitment at Ngāi Tahu to protect our natural environment, to ensure future generations have opportunities to keep our tikanga and mahinga kai practices alive.”

“The new Civic building is an example of how public-iwi partnerships can be conducted successfully. It is both a natural and large step forward for iwi to arrive at a position where we are the first-choice partners for councils and the Crown.”

“We are proud of this joint venture with the people of Christchurch and proud that this is the beginning of a long and enduring partnership.”

They just finished installing sky tv as well as putting up the 8k each 48" plasma tvs... who the hell does the shopping at this place? you can get a full hd tv for 2k around the same size!!!

this building reminds me of two face off batman, maybe they left the hereford street side ugly on purpose to match the police station?

the building should of been demolished and something iconic built in its place. Also, wtf is happening to old tuam street HQ?

hmmmm, imagine if a design like this was developed to something presentable!!

*** Christchurch City Council HQ, City.
A site is still undetermined, there is a $100 million + budget for the new
HQ which is to hold over 1000 staff, so it has the potential to become one of the city's largest/tallest buildings. The Mayor has stated that it (the new building) must have the "wow" factor. This is one design submitted which was shot down before it took flight.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h285/CHCartel/councilwow.jpg

Christchurch City Council's new civic building in Hereford St suffered some internal damage during Saturday's massive quake.

The council said the building did what it was designed to do ``preserving life rather than keeping the interior in good order''.

The damage was mainly to fixtures and fittings, but a detailed structural assessment was under way.

``Our focus is on clearing areas for key staff who are working on the city recovery operation and then we will work on opening the building to the public.''

All council services operating out of the building will be unavailable until it reopens.

Editorial: New civic building represents confident Christchurch
The Press

OPINION: The official opening of the new civic offices today will remind Christchurch of what sustains it as a city and gives it drive and purpose, because the building expresses much about who we are and what we want to be as a community.

Buildings in Christchurch have fulfilled that role since the founding of Canterbury. Those first Gothic Revival structures were created to maintain the settlement's connection with a country from which sprang all the sustaining values of its new citizens. Over the following decades many buildings have reflected more than the ideas of their designers. That has certainly been the case with the buildings that have housed the Christchurch City Council.

It began its life in the Provincial Chambers and eventually found its own accommodation in the purpose-built red brick structure that is now Our City, opposite the statue of Captain Scott. In good Christchurch style, the building was controversial. It departed from the Gothic that had been almost the only style used for Christchurch's important buildings, which did not please the traditionalists. But its architect, Samuel Hurst Seager, had his roots in old Canterbury and new London and was innovative and clever. It was soon realised that he had designed for Christchurch a building that represented its growing confidence.

The move from that Oxford Terrace building was forced by the growth of the council, as it extended its administration over a burgeoning city. It prompted the two successive shifts of venue – from Manchester St to Tuam St and now to Worcester Bld.

In the process, civic chambers as an expression of a community's identity was lost. The shift to the former Millers department store building in Tuam St, rather than the development of a city headquarters on the site of what is now the Park Royal Hotel, was a mistake. It placed the council out of the city's mainstream and in a structure that said nothing about Christchurch's past or present.

The new council building reverses that loss of identity. Taking the landmark old post office, it is aspirational in design and clearly states that its a place of governance – governance that is not over-powering but attuned to the needs of people and the environment.

Unfortunately, this is far from the feeling of all citizens. The critics are vocal, deriving mostly from those who abhor council spending on anything but the fundamentals and are suspicious of its bureaucracy. Their charge is that the new building is unnecessary, opulent and imprudently funded.

The Millers building is 76 years old and nearing the end of its life in terms of housing a major administrative operation. It is also too small to hold the growing council staff – growing mainly because citizens expect more from local government and more functions have been imposed on it by Wellington. It is therefore sensible that the city council relocate to a building in which it can carry out its functions effectively on a centralised site.

It is also sensible that the staff be given pleasant working conditions. Their status as employees of the city should not consign them to the partitioned nooks and crannies that prevailed in Tuam St.

The critics seem to be on firmer ground in criticising the combination of Ngai Tahu and the council that results in the city renting the building. But that type of arrangement is common in commerce and government – renting frees the building's user from the burden of maintaining a depreciating asset. In addition, a mutually beneficial relationship between this country's first citizens and the city's seat of government should be applauded.

Christchurch should be proud of what has been achieved. A building of Stalinist brutality has be transformed into a structure that enhances one of the city's most important precincts. We now have a building that expresses our concern for environmental and aesthetic values. Local government has a headquarters that fits it to its vital tasks. This building represents a confident Christchurch.

I still think that the main exterior looks a little bland, but then I guess they couldn't be too "out there" with the design given its a council building, and the message that would send (if the price already didn't).

But I note that the architect of HQ, Ian Athfield (of Wellington) has been picked to head a group of architects who will help design structures to fill the spaces in the city where buildings have been demolished.

Be interesting to see what he comes up with. He certainly likes straight edges and boxes, which I think we have enough of in NZ. In fact, I find most of his stuff quite uninspiring and can't figure out why every big gig in Wellington (and now Christchurch) seems to end up with his firm.

They should stick with the local firm Warren and Mahoney and support ChCh businesses.

^^ I listened to an interesting discussion on radio about this today - Bob Parker and Ian Athfield. What is interesting to note is the following which for the most part, dispels Jim's notion that Bob is making decisions behind people's back. Since the election campaign in Christchurch has largely been cancelled due to the quake, I see the comments from Jim as just a means of re-igniting the election campaign in attempt to regain lost ground.

1) The Institute of Architects actually approached the CCC offering for FREE, consultancy and design services on the rebuilding of Chch after the quake

2) It was the Institute that suggested Ian Athfield be the primary interface between teh Institute and the Council by sitting on a panel within the council.

3) The decision does NOT mean that every new building that goes up in the city will be designed by Ian, or the institute. Any other architect will be able to design a building, it's just that Ian will have some sort of liaising position to ensure that the designs actually meet the goals of the city.

Now some will say that Ian will simply object to any building that he doesn't like personally - I think you'll find that this is not going to happen. Ian is a professional person in his own right and like most professional people, they do have an ability to separate 'personal opinion' from 'subjective analysis'. That is, he will have the ability to recognise and appreciate good design and quality even if it is something he doesn't personally like.

It is like me saying that I think Mercedes are crap cars because I don't want to own one. No they are not crap, they are really good cars, its just that I personally don't want to own one as I don't personally like them. But that that doesn't stop be from still recognising the quality and status that a Mercedes car has.

For the record, Ian Athfield was actually talking to Sir Miles Warren and Miles was actually all for Ian being on this panel. Coming from someone who is essentially a competitor, this is commendable.

Time for some pics i feel :)

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6421/dscf1154large.jpg
By appreciation (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/appreciation) at 2010-09-26

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4241/dscf1132large.jpg
By appreciation (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/appreciation) at 2010-09-26

Nice shots you got there. Thank you.

Someone could change the title of this thread to "completed" as no longer under construction.

Someone could change the title of this thread to "completed" as no longer under construction.
I was hoping the "Completion" stage would be cleaning/fixing up all minor street mess on Worcester St arising from the construction of it. At the least, the paving stones should be water-blasted. Many have cement or something stuck to them.