Wednesday 1 May
Design appointments mark key milestone for Christ Church Cathedral
Design work to reinstate Christ Church Cathedral is underway following the appointment of key consultants to the project
team.
Holmes Consulting Limited Partnership will provide structural engineering expertise, while architectural consultancy
services will be supplied by Warren and Mahoney Architects.
Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited (CCRL) Project Director Keith Paterson says having these key consultants
on-board, and working collaboratively, means design can progress on crucial elements such as the functional layout of
the Cathedral, stabilisation and permanent reinstatement solutions.
“This is a significant milestone for the project and moves us towards the kind of physical work people have been looking
forward to,” Mr Paterson says.
“This project is unique, as we are not only repairing and strengthening the Cathedral structure, we’re installing base
isolation to meet the required standard of seismic performance.
“It’s the uniqueness of the project that has attracted a highly experienced and committed group of professionals who
relish the challenge and understand the significance of the project. Both Holmes Consulting and Warren and Mahoney bring
proven experience and insight from complex heritage projects, like the Christchurch Arts Centre.
“Working with them are a number of experts with equally impressive skills and experience. They include well-respected
local engineer Grant Wilkinson from Ruamoko Solutions. Jeremy Salmond (Salmond Reed Architects) is the Project Lead
Heritage Architect and has worked on some of New Zealand’s most significant heritage places. Norwegian firm SnØhetta,
designers of award-winning Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, will contribute international expertise to the project,”
says Mr Paterson.
“A lot of careful thought has gone into collating this team of experts and it’s great to be able to tap into all that
brain-power and expertise to start the reinstatement of the Cathedral.”
Peter Guthrey, Chair of the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Trust, says the calibre of the team underscores the
importance of this project for the city’s regeneration.
“Reinstating the Cathedral delivers a critical missing piece of Christchurch’s central city, and the project is full
steam ahead,” says Mr Guthrey.
Bishop Peter Carrell says, "It's exciting to know that significant progress is being made with these key appointments.
The Diocese has worked with most of these experts previously and we know that they understand what the Cathedral means
to Christchurch and to the Anglican church. Its reinstatement is vital to the rejuvenation of central Christchurch. With
these announcements we are closer to the day when we reopen the Cathedral to welcome people of all faiths or none."
Mr Paterson says the close working relationship between the project team, the church and key stakeholders will
ultimately enhance the comfort, safety and functionality of the Cathedral for worship and civic, community and
hospitality events.
Chair of CCRL, Justin Murray says it’s hoped the design work on stabilisation will be completed by the end of this year.
“That will pave the way for early stabilisation work to begin on site, in the first quarter of 2020. Stabilisation of
the Cathedral may take 12 to 18 months and will overlap with ongoing reinstatement design work.
“It’s vital at the end of this project that the Cathedral is a place that has value to the community and is a welcoming
place for all.
“There may not be much to see physically, other than ongoing site maintenance, during this next phase, but there’s
plenty of work going on behind the scenes. The next months of planning lay the foundations for everything that comes
next,” says Justin Murray.
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