| 3 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in Christchurch: Leighs Construction Rachel Graham Restored Arts Centre ready to thrive The extensive work to strengthen and modernise the site has left The Arts Centre in better shape than prior to the earthquakes. After more than 10 years of earthquake repairs the safety fences around Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in Christchurch have finally come down. At the end of December the last of the fences were dismantled, and with the final landscaping and finishing touches being done in January the decade long restoration project is now complete. Te Matatiki Toi Ora in central Christchurch is made up of 23 buildings, 22 of which are heritage listed. The site is famous for its spectacular Gothic Revival style stone buildings, stained glass windows, and graceful grassy quads. In the February 2011 earthquake all of the buildings were damaged, and one collapsed. Soon after the long slow process of restoration got underway. Arts Centre Director, Philip Aldridge, says the insurance payout for the buildings was $168 million dollars, but the initial scope for the repair work came it at $290m. Philip says with the insurance payout, fundraising and careful decision making which reduced some costs, they have been able to get the work done on schedule and within budget. He says the work involved for the stonemasons and the engineers to repair and strengthen the earthquake-damaged buildings was complex and varied. “Each building is different and had to have slightly different treatments. The most expensive, and really the showpiece of The Arts Centre, is the Great Hall, which won an award from UNESCO. “If you walked in now, you wouldn’t know what has been done there. All the seismic engineering is hidden behind the walls. Where there was once stone, brick and rubble, there is now concrete and steel which is clad in stone and brick so that you would never know. It really is exquisite.” The extensive work to strengthen and modernise the site, while honouring the heritage of the buildings, has left The Arts Centre in better shape than prior to the earthquakes, says Philip. He says they were also able to restore some of the heritage features which had been lost in previous earthquakes over the last 100 years. “Over the years we’d lost gables, finials, chimneys, and things, and now all of those have been able to be replaced. When you lift your eyes up to see the roofs and the new slates and all the gables and finials - it’s an amazing array of architectural detail.” Philip says a huge range of trades people have contributed to the return of Christchurch’s Arts Centre back to its former glory, and he says their skills were truly spectacular. “We’ve had project managers, engineers and architects who are at the top of their game. Then the actual stonework which has been done by our own stonemasons is exquisitely beautiful. I have the highest regard for them as craftsmen artists.” He says while the future of the fabric of The Arts Centre is now better than ever the financial situation is still uncertain with no long-term funding from central or local government. The Arts Centre still has two Category One and one Category Two heritage buildings which they currently don’t have the money to restore. The Arts Centre is, however, again a home to a wide range of arts and artists, with art galleries, a dance studio, a cinema, performance spaces, workshops, artist’s studios and the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities. A stunning new offering is the Observatory Hotel. Located where the Observatory Tower once stood as home to astronomy and physics, the hotel boasts 33 rooms, each curated with handpicked locally crafted furniture. Philip Aldridge says that after so many years of seeing the stonemasons working on the site it has been sad to see the last of them leaving. But he knows the fantastic work they have done will again allow The Arts Centre to be the thriving centre of the community. Passionate about our people, we strive for excellent project delivery every time. Proud project partners of the iconic and treasured Christchurch Arts Centre. Want to join our team? Visit our careers page for opportunities in Antarctica, Timaru, Christchurch, and Auckland. Creating a legacy of important buildings for our communities. MAKING CONSTRUCTION A BETTER PLACE WWW.LEIGHSCONSTRUCTION.CO.NZ We pride ourselves on Service & Reliability For all your scaffolding & propping requirements both Residential & Commercial PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARTS CENTRE OF CHRISTCHURCH
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