The example of Dorset Street Flats as the challenge presented to conserving mid-century buildings in seismic-prone New Zealand.
The preservation of modern heritage has to acknowledge the seismic risk that is inherent to much of New Zealand. It poses significant risk to mid-century buildings, both directly when earthquakes occur, and indirectly through the regulatory requirement for upgrading to meet current standards of safety, which can involve extensive and intrusive strengthening work. The significant number of buildings damaged during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, and subsequently demolished, included many important modern buildings. More than a decade on, other damaged buildings remain at risk, in some cases blighted by insurance wrangles and protracted decision making, during which their condition has continued to deteriorate. The ongoing insurance catharsis was exemplified by the centrally located Dorset Street Flats (1956-1957), designed by Miles Warren, embroiling the owners in a protracted stalemate that lasted for almost ten years before a resolution was found and repair work finally undertaken. In contrast to the lost and the blighted, the full seismic upgrade, repair and refurbishment of the quake-damaged Christchurch Town Hall (1966-1972) by the Christchurch City Council was befitting of such an iconic public building.
2.12. Modern Heritage, by Julia Gatley and Phillip Hartley
JOHN STUBBS, WILLIAM CHAPMAN, JULIA GATLEY, ROSS KING, “Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands: National Experiences and Practice”, Routledge, 2023, ISBN 9780367654436.
The preservation of modern heritage has to acknowledge the seismic risk that is inherent to much of New Zealand. It poses significant risk to mid-century buildings, both directly when earthquakes occur, and indirectly through the regulatory requirement for upgrading to meet current standards of safety, which can involve extensive and intrusive strengthening work. The significant number of buildings damaged during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, and subsequently demolished, included many important modern buildings. More than a decade on, other damaged buildings remain at risk, in some cases blighted by insurance wrangles and protracted decision making, during which their condition has continued to deteriorate. The ongoing insurance catharsis was exemplified by the centrally located Dorset Street Flats (1956-1957), designed by Miles Warren, embroiling the owners in a protracted stalemate that lasted for almost ten years before a resolution was found and repair work finally undertaken. In contrast to the lost and the blighted, the full seismic upgrade, repair and refurbishment of the quake-damaged Christchurch Town Hall (1966-1972) by the Christchurch City Council was befitting of such an iconic public building.
2.12. Modern Heritage, by Julia Gatley and Phillip Hartley
JOHN STUBBS, WILLIAM CHAPMAN, JULIA GATLEY, ROSS KING, “Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands: National Experiences and Practice”, Routledge, 2023, ISBN 9780367654436.
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