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Implosion of Radio Network House

2011 Christchurch earthquake2012 in New ZealandAugust 2012 events in New ZealandBuildings and structures demolished as a result of the 2011 Christchurch earthquakeBuildings and structures demolished in 2012
EngvarB from March 2020Former skyscrapersPages with non-numeric formatnum argumentsSkyscraper office buildings in New ZealandSkyscrapers in Christchurch
Radio Network House implosion
Radio Network House implosion

The implosion of Radio Network House in 2012 was the first implosion used in New Zealand to demolish a building, and was a "test case" for the potential to use such a demolition method on similar buildings in Christchurch Central City that had been damaged in the 2011 earthquake. Like most other large buildings in central Christchurch, Radio Network House was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquake, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) added it to the demolition list in August 2011. In July 2012, it was announced that the building was going to be imploded, involving a specialist company from the United States with considerable experience in this type of work. The right to push the button for the implosion was put up for auction on Trade Me, and became that website's third most viewed auction. The winning bid of NZ$26,000 was made by a consortium of demolition contractors, who allowed the Child Cancer Foundation to nominate a six-year-old boy from Queenstown to trigger the event. The implosion, which was carefully monitored to assess the suitability of this demolition method for potential future applications, went without any problems and it is anticipated that this will have paved the way for many more implosions in New Zealand in general, and in Christchurch in particular. But as of 2020, only one further implosion has been carried out.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Implosion of Radio Network House (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Implosion of Radio Network House
Worcester Street, Christchurch Central City

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N -43.5306 ° E 172.641 °
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Worcester Street 6/163
8011 Christchurch, Central City
Canterbury, New Zealand
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Radio Network House implosion
Radio Network House implosion
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Christchurch Club
Christchurch Club

The Christchurch Club is a historic gentlemen's club in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The older of the two Christchurch clubs, it was founded by rural landholders in 1856; the rival organisation, the Canterbury Club, was a breakaway that was founded by urban professionals in 1872. The Christchurch Club, originally simply known as The Club, was founded by wealthy runholders in 1856. George Ross was one of the founding members. At first, premises were rented in Durham Street for members who were visiting Christchurch to use. Benjamin Mountfort, Christchurch's pre-eminent architect, was engaged to design the club's building for the site adjacent to Latimer Square on Worcester Street. The design is unusual and unique for Mountfort, and is thought to be a compromise between an Italian Palazzo architecture preferred by the club members that can be found in the Travellers and Reform Clubs in London, and Mountfort's preference for a Gothic architecture. The chosen Italian Villa style was seen as relatively informal yet elegant and rural. The building was erected in 1861–62. Due to the composition of its membership, the Christchurch Club was "an informal seat of power in nineteenth century Canterbury". The building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed to Heritage New Zealand) on 2 April 1985 as a Category I historic place.The Christchurch Club building suffered significant damage in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, and as of April 2016 operates out of the George Hotel while the historic premises are under repair. There have been a number of attempts over the decades for the two Christchurch clubs to merge again, and the last such proposal was discussed in 2013.

Margaret Mahy Playground
Margaret Mahy Playground

The Margaret Mahy Playground is a playground in the Christchurch Central City on the banks of the Avon River. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the government's Recovery Plan had a "city-wide family playground" as one of the elements of the East Frame. The playground opened on 22 December 2015, and it is the largest playground in the Southern Hemisphere. A week prior to the opening, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) issued a press release reporting that the playground had cost NZ$3m to build, and the local newspaper, The Press, reported this with the headline "$3m playground ready to open". But within days, it became clear that the amount publicised by CERA was only a part of the cost; The Press reported that the total project cost exceeded NZ$40m, with NZ$19.6m for land purchase, NZ$1.3m for demolition of buildings, and NZ$20m for land development, including NZ$3m for the playground itself.The concept for the playground is based on deliberate but managed risk, with the project manager stating: "We accept more risk now in our playgrounds than we had 20 years ago." Having mostly received an enthusiastic response from the public, there was criticism that such an expensive playground did not cater better for children with physical disabilities. The playground is named for Margaret Mahy, New Zealand's famous children's author. After it was reported in January 2016 that the slide got so hot during sunny summer days that it blistered fingers, shade sails were installed. In April 2016, it was reported that additional adventure equipment for the playground had been ordered: climbing towers and "curly whirly slides". An 8 metres (26 ft) spiral slide from one of the towers opened on 26 June and The Press reported "screams of terror and excitement". Two weeks later, the towers and the slide were closed again "over safety concerns". The land incorporates the previous Elsie Locke Park, which was named after the famous activist in 1997 and was Christchurch's only park named after a resident during their lifetime.