Abstract:
When the February 2011 earthquake hit Christchurch, it changed the face of the city forever. Swathes of the urban landscape were destroyed in the disaster or demolished in the months and years after. Visible remains of the city’s built history are all but gone. One particularly significant building affected by the disaster is the Canterbury Provincial Chambers. The Provincial Chambers are uniquely positioned to tell Christchurch’s post-colonial story. They simultaneously embody the European settlement’s founding and stand as a visual illustration of the earthquake that destroyed it.
This thesis explores the potential of a contemporary intervention to restore the historical narrative of the earthquake-damaged Christchurch Provincial Chambers through the medium of adaptive reuse.
Forming this narrative’s basis, this thesis begins with an investigation into the site’s context and history, from Maori occupation up until the 2011 disaster. The physical and emotional effects of the earthquakes on both the Chambers and the city all play a key role in determining a need for preservation of identity in the city.
Due to the buildings’ extensive damage and cultural sensitivity, a more nuanced response than a brick-for-brick rebuild is needed. An adaptive reuse solution of contemporary intervention acts as the architectural medium to convey the lost narrative. The layering characteristic of adaptive reuse mirrors the pre-existing additive nature of the Chambers implemented by the architect, Benjamin Mountfort. This new layer of architecture built on top of the damaged Chambers creates a palimpsest whereby the original building, left in ruins, can resurface. The restored complex will once again be mixed-use. The timber buildings continuing to serve as offices, Bellamys reinstated as the refreshments wing, and the Stone Chamber dedicated as an exhibition space remembering the effects of the earthquake on the city.