Work continues on Te Hononga Civic Building

Strengthening work on Christchurch City Council’s Te Hononga Civic Building is continuing with concrete panels set to be removed.

Detailed seismic assessment last year found the Council office was an Earthquake Prone Building and a programme of strengthening work has been underway, likely to continue to 2027.

Upgrading parts of the concrete façade on Hereford Street is part of this programme as

some panels have been identified as earthquake-prone, with a low to moderate risk of failure in a moderate earthquake. 

This was scheduled for a later phase of the programme, but has been brought forward due to the proximity of the panels to the building's fire exits.

“While the overall risk remains low and the building is safe to occupy, the impacted panels are around our emergency exits so we have asked the building owners to bring forward the removal and upgrade of the panels to eliminate any risk to our staff and the public,” Interim Chief Executive Bede Carran said.

Scaffolding is being installed around the fire exits on Hereford Street before work to remove the concrete panels starts on Thursday 13 August. 

Cranes will be on site and the street will be reduced to one lane traffic as work continues for around a month. 

Mr Carran said to comply with fire regulations, there will be reduced staff occupancy in the building while the concrete panels are removed. 

“Staff not able to work from the building will be working from another Council location or from home for this phase of the work,” he said. 

“The public areas can still be accessed as normal, including the Council Chamber on Level 2 and residents can be reassured there will be absolutely no drop in any Council services while this work is happening.” 

“I want to thank staff for continuing to provide advice and services in spite of the disruption, as well as elected members and visitors to our Civic Offices for their patience and understanding,” he said. 

Staff will be able to return to the building once the panels have been removed as the fire exits will be accessible from all floors. Some temporary cladding and weatherproofing work will continue on Hereford Street until the end of September.