Earthquake strengthening and Places

Common Ground?

Thistle Hall Community Venue — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT

This event is part of the Aotearoa Festival of Architecture, by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. When Kaikoura shook, photographer Andy Spain got Wellington's list of earthquake prone buildings and started photographing them. The idea of fixing time became appealing, as many of the buildings were demolished. When asked to exhibit them together however, Andy began to ask what these remnants meant. He visited the petals saved from Athfield's church of First Church of Christ Scientist and saw their fragility. He talked to architects about remedial work which never saw the light of day. What were the consequences of all these traces existing in a time when the fates of many Wellington buildings are so contested? Where heritage competes with social housing, which competes with sustainable reuse, and so on. So, this exhibition is not about the photographs that have been taken, or the drawings drawn, or the artworks saved. It is about how we decide to use these remnants, and what stories we want them to tell.

Te Pae Tiaki Wellington ED, Wellington Regional Hospital – earthquake strengthening update

Capital & Coast District Health Board — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Update from Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley Acting Group Director Operations Hospital & Specialist Services Jamie Duncan

Te Pae Tiaki Wellington ED, Wellington Regional Hospital – earthquake strengthening update

Hutt Valley District Health Board — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Update from Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley Acting Group Director Operations Hospital & Specialist Services Jamie Duncan

Building Update - 1 September 2022

All Saints Hataitai — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT

We thought we would give you an update about what has happened in regards to our building recently - which in short is not much!As part of our MAP - Taking Flight process we were looking at some options of what could buildings be used for in this parish in the future and I am sure that has sparked some discussion and some ideas that might be floating around. The Brick Building In July, we received a letter from the Council asking us for an engineering report as they had identified that the building was potentially an earthquake risk. In working with the Diocese we provided the engineering report that was done a while ago (which subsequently meant we could not use the building). Therefore you will see on the doors of the building there are now official notices from the council stating the risk of the building's earthquake rating. It also states on it that we have until 2 July 2037 to rectify the situation.

Saving (or demolishing) a 19th century landmark

Wellington Scoop — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Urban Dream Brokerage to close in Wellington with a call to support artists developing work independently in the city

Urban Dream Brokerage — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:37:55 GMT

Brides, Barbarian Productions, Bowen House, 2013 A letter to our city, our artists, our property owners, our supporters. We have loved changing Wellington City’s dynamic through Letting Space’s Urban Dream Brokerage service - with thanks to some remarkable creative people, property owners and the funding of the Wellington City Council and Wellington Community Trust. Over the past five and half years, Urban Dream Brokerage in Wellington has placed over 300 creators and artists in 45 spaces with 61 projects. Images and details of these can be found here, including three new, current projects. Some have been short, others have lasted much longer – the amazing group Coliberate have just finished 18 months running a mental health gym in Featherston Street, for example. On 30th June we come to the end of a three-year contract with Wellington City Council for the delivery of the service. Letting Space has made the decision not to renew this contract. Rather we will do new work under the auspices of our trust, the Wellington Independent Arts Trust. We all continue to look for ways to make Wellington a diverse and people-oriented place. In terms of the brokerage, property owners will tell you they are facing unprecedented issues with earthquake strengthening plus a far higher demand for retail spaces in the city than when we began, during a recession. It has got harder and harder for us to find spare spaces in a popular little city. It remains key work to provide infrastructure for independent artists. This is our challenge to council, to organisations, to all: if you wish Wellington to remain creative you need to prioritise directly supporting the city's most dynamic artists, through funds or resources such as space. It is in their hands, not established organisations or events, that the future lies. This needs new and different energies right now. We also need to celebrate and thank our city. The UDB projects have seen artists and other creatives consistently and uniquely challenge the expectation of the city’s offerings. They have helped us recognise that our city needs to provide diverse living spaces for all, where many people feel included and new ideas can take shape. Where artists and other creatives have the space to grow new enterprises and ways of working, developing their own interaction with the city. This has led to us working in Dunedin - where a programme now thrives, and programmes in Porirua and Masterton, as well as providing inspiration and advice to other cities nationwide and overseas. We’ve helped along the way with the development of proposals with many groups and in this last year have offered a monthly lunchtime gathering and podcast and, currently, a mentoring programme. We’ve loved working with artists and makers, helping them see their ideas to fruition. Many have gone on to develop stronger practices and businesses as part of the city. We continue to believe this kind of work is vital and special to Wellington’s identity. A place where artists feel they can be part of the city’s fabric. It’s something that helped the notion of being a ‘creative capital’. We’re thrilled to see artist run spaces like Te Haukāinga, meanwhile and play_station join others in the CBD in the last two years – artists are stepping up and taking on property. Others also need to lead and some are looking for space. In May 2017 we conducted focus groups and surveyed of artists with experience in working in unconventional spaces about what they really need to stay active and sustained in Wellington. A report on this can be found here. We think it’s time to heed the lead of authorities like Dunedin City Council currently and work actively to see how artists can be more embedded in infrastructure. Artists need more than event presentation space and promotion - they need space for development, where they can collaborate and be more part of the city. They suffer from a lack of the working spaces and connections that other creatives are gaining from co-share working spaces. Artists need to be funded to be artists - to develop, think and contribute to Wellington’s public, private and government institutions. It’s about artists working to be more embedded dynamic activators of the city. And it’s about recognising artists’ time and need for development potential, rather than seeing them as temporary pop-ups, or as free agents of lightweight cool projects. It's about seeing them as contributors to our city’s development. We hope Urban Dream Brokerage has helped challenge what exchange means for Wellington’s CBD - non-commercial activity as a vital part of the urban infrastructure. Projects like Moodbank, People’s Cinema, Co-Liberate, Political Cuts, to name a few, have gone on to have lives in other places, following the legacy of Letting Space produced and curated projects in the city like Kim Paton’s Freestore. Temporary sometimes leads to permanent, but even without physical legacy we think the traces of the network that has been created have a lasting resonance for many creators in Wellington. Urban Dream Brokerage ends in June but we are encouraging others to pick up the challenge to do this work. Never underestimate the generosity there is amongst property and business owners who understand how value in a city needs to work in different ways and are committed to Wellington’s arts ecosystem. Expect knockbacks, but hold to your vision! We are making our resources, forms and processes available through Creative Commons for anyone to pick up. A link to these will be posted on our website, our blog and through our social media threads soon. All three of us are looking forward to continuing to work with our many dear friends and valued colleagues to continue to make Wellington such a special place to live and work. Thank you for the amazing work you do. Ngā mihi, Helen, Mark and Sophie Letting Space

I will if you do

Victoria University of Wellington — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Research by Victoria University of Wellington PhD Psychology student Lauren Vinnell has found that social norms affect support for earthquake strengthening legislation.

Another heritage building saved

Iona Pannett — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Good news that the conversion of the old St James church in Newtown is going ahead and is expected to be completed in 18 months as reported in The Dominion Post today.

Public Trust building

Architectural Centre Inc — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There are many buildings that the Architectural Centre has championed the cause of over the years, but for me there are two that stand out from the rest. They are Old St Paul’s Cathedral in Thorndon, and the Public Trust building in Lambton Quay.

National War Memorial “Earthquake-prone”: Demolition?

Eye of the Fish — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In some pretty shocking news that has just been leaked out of the new super-ministry this morning, the National War Memorial in Buckle St has been declared to be an earthquake prone building. The building, completed in 1932, has a concrete frame, but the weight of the heavy bronze bells in the Carillon is thought [...]

Mayor calls review of earthquake-strengthening policies

Thorndon Residents Assocation — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Mayor Prendergast is calling for a review of the Council's earthquake-strengthening policies.