CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL | COLOMBO AND ARMAGH ST CNR | 17L | 70 Metres | Refurbishment Completed

Got a new sign up at last:

As you are all probably thinking - this is going to be an awesome hotel when completed. With superb north-west views out over the city toward the alps with nothing obstructing the vista. So pleased those involved had the vision to make this happen instead of opting for the easy option of taking the cash and donating the building to the cheap spectacle of a crowd pleasing implosion...
I wanna book a nite there NOW! - on the top floor with bubbles!!!:banana:

I will definitely have a peek around when this, rydges and the millennium open. I can't wait to see what the podium re-clad is going to look like. If it looks like this:



My god it would be glorious.

Picture source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=505569&page=24
Picture taken by Brojoro from the Auckland subforum. Post 466.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=505569&page=24

honeybear said:

As you are all probably thinking - this is going to be an awesome hotel when completed. With superb north-west views out over the city toward the alps with nothing obstructing the vista. So pleased those involved had the vision to make this happen instead of opting for the easy option of taking the cash and donating the building to the cheap spectacle of a crowd pleasing implosion...
I wanna book a nite there NOW! - on the top floor with bubbles!!!:banana:

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I went up to the top on the open day back in 89. Then it was called Robert Jones House someone wrote on the dusty window 'Nice View Bob' I always remember that for some reason. Yes it is very lucky it has been saved from the wrecking ball as many residents of the city wanted it gone. So glad the owner not give in to peer pressure.

jarden said:

I went up to the top on the open day back in 89. Then it was called Robert Jones House someone wrote on the dusty window 'Nice View Bob' I always remember that for some reason. Yes it is very lucky it has been saved from the wrecking ball as many residents of the city wanted it gone. So glad the owner not give in to peer pressure.

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Lots of people like to hate on this building, but I actually really like it, always have and always will. Bob jones is an ass though, doesn't give a crap about christchurch anymore.

voyager8907 said:

Lots of people like to hate on this building, but I actually really like it, always have and always will. Bob jones is an ass though, doesn't give a crap about christchurch anymore.

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^^ Yeah Bob Jones is a clown. He had a chance to make it big back in the 80s/90s, but his ego did him in

HavanaClub said:

^^ Yeah Bob Jones is a clown. He had a chance to make it big back in the 80s/90s, but his ego did him in

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If he had hit it big, would that have potentially meant that more towers like forsyth barr were built? I wish I could see some of the tower plans that never came to fruition in Christchurch after the crash. Its sad but interesting at the same time.

One of the best towers that got scrapped in the 80's was called 'The Octagon' it had 16 floors all with 8 sides on a 2 level square podium was to go up on Oxford tce by Cashel mall with alternating black and red 'Canterbury colours' with mirror glass was a very sleek design was to be built by Bert Govan but alas it not go ahead maybe too late market had gone for office space only a 2 floor project got built on the site in the end.
I wish they could do something like that today but cost would be prohibitive and too high as well. Developers were more daring in those days willing to put up a landmark not like the small hum drum projects we get on offer today.

jarden said:

One of the best towers that got scrapped in the 80's was called 'The Octagon' it had 16 floors all with 8 sides on a 2 level square podium was to go up on Oxford tce by Cashel mall with alternating black and red 'Canterbury colours' with mirror glass was a very sleek design was to be built by Bert Govan but alas it not go ahead maybe too late market had gone for office space only a 2 floor project got built on the site in the end.
I wish they could do something like that today but cost would be prohibitive and too high as well. Developers were more daring in those days willing to put up a landmark not like the small hum drum projects we get on offer today.

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We might see another high rise boom for nz in the future but the current boom seems to exclude office high rises. Aucklands got a couple residential ones going up but I don't think any office towers have been proposed. Real shame about that octagon proposal, I wonder if we ever had a 30 story tower proposed? I know wellington did on lambton quay before the 1992 crash. And Auckland had a 55 story tower on the waterfront, I have a book from 1989 which was made to show how much of an economic power nz was at the time and it had a page with aucklands skyline full of proposals. The only one there that was actually built was the ANZ Centre. It would be cool if someone had newspaper clipping of the octagon and other proposals. There was a plan to frame the entire CBD with high rises. I think FB and PWC were kind of precursors to that plan looking at where they are. (or were in terms of PWC)

Edit: Just saw a pretty funny comment on rebuild chch about FB, someone said the building was unstable because "i was in victoria square during the quake and the building was swaying". You have got to be kidding me.

243 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

Good to see she is staying.

I have a new appreciation for this building.

what I am really impressed by is that this building had a lot of bad publicity at the time of the quakes with people being trapped, internal stairs collapsing etc and if I remember correctly was one of the first that I think was initially talked about for demolition. But a complete turnaround! And now a world class hotel (sort of):banana:

honeybear said:

what I am really impressed by is that this building had a lot of bad publicity at the time of the quakes with people being trapped, internal stairs collapsing etc and if I remember correctly was one of the first that I think was initially talked about for demolition. But a complete turnaround! And now a world class hotel (sort of):banana:

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Yeah, even in that recent doco on the quakes they did you hear someone refer to the building as unstable. So wrong, in fact this building survived with very little structural damage. The stairwell collapse was because of shoddy construction work. Very shoddy work, they actually did a report on it with a diagram. The builder must have had 0 brain cells. Can't wait for it to become a hotel!

voyager8907 said:

Yeah, even in that recent doco on the quakes they did you hear someone refer to the building as unstable. So wrong, in fact this building survived with very little structural damage. The stairwell collapse was because of shoddy construction work. Very shoddy work, they actually did a report on it with a diagram. The builder must have had 0 brain cells. Can't wait for it to become a hotel!

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So how can that be? wouldn't the building as a whole have to have met a certain building code at the time and be signed off by the same inspector(s)?? How can a building be extremely well built but have "shoddy stairs" that totally collapsed??? I would have thought fire escape stairs would have been one of the most important and scrutinised part of any building with very clear code criteria...

honeybear said:

So how can that be? wouldn't the building as a whole have to have met a certain building code at the time and be signed off by the same inspector(s)?? How can a building be extremely well built but have "shoddy stairs" that totally collapsed??? I would have thought fire escape stairs would have been one of the most important and scrutinised part of any building with very clear code criteria...

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The stairs are supposed to not be connected the the rest of the core so that they have room to flex and move around, these stairs were connected at some points and at others were really far away from the rest of the core. Stairs collapsing isn't something you want, but the building doesn't rely on the stairs for strength. I have no idea how it got past inspectors. The building wasn't necessarily completely well built but it stood up the the quake reasonably well. Unlike its taller brother PWC.

Not that any of this matters now that it is being repaired. I probably didn't explain it very well in the previous post.

Edit: Found the diagram, the building is supposed to have a 30mm seismic gap, on one it had a 106mm gap. Holy crap.

Can't help but wonder how different these scenes will look in 5 years time. It'll feel like the centre of a city again.

023 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

009 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

011 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

016 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

137 by milan.luka116, on Flickr

I expect they will use a tower crane on it when the work gets under way.

Considering this starts next month I'm surprised we haven't seen renders of the re-cladded base yet. Hopefully those might be shown off soon.

Designworks secures Crowne Plaza Christchurch Spatial Design

April 14, 2015: After a competitive pitch, Designworks (part of STW Group) has been appointed to the largest interior design hotel project currently in New Zealand and a landmark project for Christchurch. The former Forsyth Barr building will be transformed in the next 18 months into Crowne Plaza Christchurch – a 200 room hotel, with bars and restaurants.

Partnering with developer MC Christchurch Holdings, Designworks will envisage and oversee all aspects of Spatial Design for the new hotel.

Michael Prentice, Designworks Christchurch Managing Director cites Designworks’ unique innovative approach to full customer experience design as coming together to secure this exciting project.

“Designworks offered MC Christchurch an approach that will see us integrate design thinking to deliver a unique experience for locals and guests to the hotel,” he explained.

Clark Pritchard Designworks Group Head of Spatial Design says: “Our approach brings interiors, technology, service, innovation and brand design together for our clients. The project is another exciting opportunity for us to bring the unique set of skills within Designworks together on one project.”

A spokesperson for MC Christchurch Holdings says that the project is an important one for Christchurch and Designworks demonstrated passion for the rebuild and an ongoing commitment to Christchurch.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with Michael, Clark and team to bring Crowne Plaza Christchurch to life. They brought a very fresh and unexpected approach that we saw true value in and we’re really excited about. They put together a project team with unique skills from across their offices in New Zealand specifically to meet the needs of our brief – no one else could offer that.”

Work on the project is underway with the hotel set to open in 2017.

Designworks, the region’s leading strategic design and customer experience practice with more than 140 staff in six locations across New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia, is part of the STW Group, Australasia’s leading marketing content and communications group.

Source: Scoop Business

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Not really sure when this hotel will open now...

Royen said:

Not really sure when this hotel will open now...

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18 months sounds about right, 2016 did seem like a long shot with the amount of work this building will need.

voyager8907 said:

18 months sounds about right, 2016 did seem like a long shot with the amount of work this building will need.

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I agree and hopefully this will mean a good re-clad as well, but why then put up a sign 'Opening 2016' a few months ago?