In 2011, a major earthquake killed 185 people in Christchurch, New Zealand as a result of collapsed buildings and falling masonry. As the city has been rebuilt over the course of the following decade, nine projects were identified as vital to the redevelopment of the city center.
One of those projects, Tūranga, is an earthquake-resistant central library designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects with help from Architectus. The five-story, 102,000-sf library’s structure was developed by Lewis Bradford Consulting Engineers to withstand potential future earthquakes of the magnitude that struck in 2011. Tūranga was constructed to very stringent performance criteria, and is designed to sustain minimal structural damage during a large earthquake thanks to an integrated, self-centering mechanism that allows the building to sway and then return to its original position.
See Also: New library offers a one-stop shop for what society is craving: hands-on learning
The library is protected by a force-resisting system made up of a series of large-scale concrete walls that rock and shift to isolate the building from peak earthquake accelerations during a seismic event. Each wall has high tensile, pre-tensioned steel cables that clamp the wall to the foundations with approximately 1,000 tons of force per wall. The stretch of these cables return the building to its original position after an earthquake.
Tūranga’s entrance connects the library with Cathedral Square and surrounding buildings and leads to a ground floor that is a continuation of the public realm of the square. Located just inside the entrance is a cafe and an innovation zone that features a 20 foot touchscreen wall. Deeper into the building is the main elevator core, which rises vertically through the building with transitions of flora and fauna important to Ngāi Tahu, the local Māori tribe.
Photo: Adam Mørk.
On the second floor is the Community Area. This space is a distinct volume within the form of the library that is positioned to maximize its visual connections to the square. Also on the second level is Ngā Purapura, a children’s area that includes a reading cave and activity room, named for Ngāi Tahu ancestral traditions.
The book collections, staff offices, meeting and study rooms, a production studio, a computer lab, and a music studio are located on the upper three floors. The library also includes two roof terraces: one facing to the north and northeast, and one facing the south.
Southbase Construction was the general contractor for the project.
Photo: Adam Mørk.
Related Stories
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction market benefits from improving economy, new technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following years of fairly lackluster demand for commercial property remodeling, reconstruction revenue is improving, according to the 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, Turner, and Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
