4 | Southbase - Christchurch Boys’ High School T T Richard Loader Major restoration for CBHS block “Sections of floors were deconstructed and rebuilt. We removed a lot of the roof framing and replaced it with modern building practice throughout the roof space, including bracing, plywood diaphragms, and structural steel.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT T T to page 6 A three-year journey to restore and stregthen Christchurch Boys’ High School’s 100-year-old Main Block for the continued enjoyment of current and future generations of students, faculty and Cantabrians is drawing to a close with the official opening set for this month. Now an Historic Place Category 1 Heritage building, construction of the red-brick and stone-clad Main Block was completed in 1925, and consisted of a central building much smaller in footprint than it is today. Over the years, the building had suffered from earthquake damage, gradual deterioration and general maintenance requirements, and required seismic strengthening, ran service upgrade bring it up to the current building code standard. The project also included the construction of a new annex building attached to the south-east of Main Block, as well as the replacement of an existing building that was demolished. With a plethora of industry skills, experience and relationships with suppliers, contractors, and consultants for complex and intricate projects, Southbase was engaged as the main contractor, with RDT contracted as the client-side project manager for the Ministry of Education. Southbase project manager Sam Smith says the seismic strengthening required the building’s internal walls, ceilings and floors to be stripped right back to reveal the extent of damage including cracking needing to be repaired through techniques such as pressure injection. “Sections of floors were deconstructed and rebuilt. We removed a lot of the roof framing and replaced it with modern building practice throughout the roof space, including bracing, plywood diaphragms, and structural steel. “Dotted around the building are additional concrete plinths and corbels to strengthen junctions and connect new structural steel,” Sam says. “The existing gutters were historically leaking and the slate roof, along with flashings, had also deteriorated. “Remediation involved stripping all these elements back, completely removing a lot of them and rebuilding to modern building practice, or if there was a heritage element, rebuilding under heritage guidelines. “Much of the work was very intricate and complex.” James Herdman Roofing Ltd is proud to support Southbase Construction on the Christchurch Boys Highschool Project
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