Latest news with #NewBuildingStandard
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Earthquake-Prone Building Notice Confirmed For Embassy Theatre – But It's Business As Usual
The Seismic Assessment for Wellington's iconic Embassy Theatre has confirmed parts of the building are below the 34% NBS threshold for being earthquake prone, but the building can operate as usual. In October 2024, Wellington City Council – in its capacity as the regulator – requested a Seismic Assessment to give the Embassy Theatre a formal New Building Standard (NBS) rating. An earthquake-prone notice was issued and displayed on the entrance to the Embassy Theatre in lieu of the assessment. The findings of the assessment have parts of the building below the 34% NBS threshold for being earthquake prone. Under the NBS a building's seismic performance rating is given based on its seismically weakest part. The building's NBS rating is 30%. A review of the latest advice, in conjunction with the MBIE Seismic Risk Guidance for Buildings, indicates the Embassy Theatre can operate as usual, prior to the work being carried out. The assessment states there is a 1.8% chance an earthquake could cause damage and a 0.3% chance the building would be occupied should an earthquake occur. Strengthening work above the main auditorium and on the Marjoribanks Steet façade would bring the building up to standard. The notice gives the Wellington City Council – as the building's owner – 16 years to plan and carry out remedial works on the building. Council's Chief Infrastructure Officer Jenny Chetwynd says: 'The Embassy Theatre is a much-loved venue in Wellington's entertainment district. 'We have concluded, on reviewing the latest advice in conjunction with the MBIE Seismic Risk Guidance for Buildings, that there is nothing within either assessment that indicates the building cannot continue to operate as normal.' The Embassy Theatre, on the corner of Marjoribank Street and Kent Terrace, is Wellington's oldest and most iconic cinemas. It is one of the only pre-World War II large-screen cinemas remaining in the country. Originally known as the De Luxe Cinema, it celebrated its centenary in 2024. It has been strengthened twice before, most recently in 2009 to 80% NBS. Standards have become more stringent since those works were carried out. The Council will review its options for the building over the coming months. An EPB notice will be displayed at every public entrance to the building. Related links:
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Seismic strengthening of council building could take 6 months
Christchurch City Council staff and the mayor will be unable to use part of their central city offices for up to six months as work to strengthen the building gets under way. An engineer's seismic assessment indicated the main Te Hononga Civic Offices building off Hereford St is 100% of the New Building Standard (NBS), but the annex floor connections on the Worcester Boulevard side are at 40%. Council staff forced to relocate Council chief executive Mary Richardson said while the NBS rating for the building is above 34% - meaning it is not quake-prone - the annex floor connections could behave unpredictably or fail abruptly during a strong earthquake. "The likelihood of a large earthquake is considered low, however, based on the potential consequences and the temporary mitigation measures available, we have determined that the council should continue to vacate the annex area," Richardson said. "Safety of council staff, elected members and visitors is paramount and after discussing the risks, mitigations and options with the council engineers and the executive leadership team, we're not willing to take any risks on that." The design and seismic strengthening of the building is expected to take up to six months. "There is an advantage of the annex (being) unoccupied over this time to allow for investigation and then construction works to happen as quickly as possible. Although we are still working on logistics for how the remedial programme will run," Richardson said. "Due to the longer period of restricting occupancy of the annex, we will be looking at options to improve the working environment for staff and elected members, particularly those who have been relocated." The entrance on Worcester Boulevard has reopened and the civil servant café is operating with some tables in the main building. "Having assessed the usage of the Worcester Boulevard ramp and entrance, we consider there is a lower risk to users of this entrance due to the shorter time the area is occupied," Richardson said. "Once again, I want to thank staff for continuing to provide advice and services to our residents, in spite of the disruption, as well as the mayor and councillors and visitors to our civic offices for their patience and understanding."
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Tapawera Community Hub: Where Will It Go?
Tasman District Council is forging ahead with a $2.7 million plan to build a new community hub for the rural Tapawera community. The hub is envisioned as a place to create better access to health and wellbeing services for residents while providing a place for locals to connect and find information. The council reaffirmed its decision to progress with the new facility earlier this month despite a 'small contingent' of Golden Down residents writing in opposition to the project in January. Dean Walls is one Tapawera resident who wants 'no new hub anywhere' and disputes locally-led surveys that show over 80 per cent support for the facility. He said the rural township and wider district was in economic downturn and so the council should focus on 'needs, not wants' rather than spending large sums for a community hub as rates continue to rise. 'There is no fiscal responsibility for the project at all. Numbers have been picked out of the air and reported as facts.' The community wanted the current hall retained and upgraded, he added. The existing Tapawera Community Centre at 95 Main Road Tapawera is currently earthquake-prone, at 25 per cent of the New Building Standard. A feasibility study for a new hub said the community centre site was the preferred location. The existing centre is owned by the Tapawera and Districts Community Council and would have been transferred to the council to facilitate a new hub. However, the council's due diligence for the location revealed several issues including nearby powerlines that would complicate works, the Kahurangi Waharoa (Gateway) and community gardens currently on the site, and heritage concerns. Subsequently, council staff had recommended that the existing community centre site was taken out of consideration, but councillors disagreed and voted to keep the possibility on the table. Deputy mayor and Lakes-Murchison Ward councillor Stuart Bryant wanted the location to remain an option at the request of local residents. 'Hopefully this finds a way forward that we should continue working on this project for the community.' Steve Udy, chair of the Tapawera and Districts Community Council, said the association was determined to keep the existing community centre, possibly with seismic strengthening. 'There is significant support in the community for retaining the building for its historic character, and so a demolition and new build on the site wouldn't be acceptable to significant proportion of the local community.' He thought it made 'much more sense' to build on one of three reserves sites in the Tapawera Memorial Park currently being consulted on through the Lakes-Murchison Ward's reserve management plan. 'We have a duty to the community to ensure that the funds that have been allocated to it, to the new build, are used as best as possible.' Two of the three locations being consulted on are south of Matai Crescent and are large open sites, but would face greater flooding risk and infrastructural costs. The third site north of Matai Crescent has previously seen some negative feedback from the community due to access and amenity concerns, though it has better utility access and less flood risk which would result in lower construction costs. In addition to their thoughts on the three locations, submitters on the reserve management plan are also being asked if they support a new community hub. The consultation will gauge community feedback which will eventually inform the council's decision, but not before all four locations (including the existing community centre site) are assessed and those findings are shared with the wider community. Design work for the new facility will begin in July. 'What we're trying to do is pursue the best possible outcome for our community long-term,' said Phoebe Quinlivan, communications and hub coordinator at Tapawera Connect. 'This is our one shot to get a community hub for Tapawera.' The hub project has secured $510,000 from the Department of Internal Affairs.
