Rebuilding Christchurch NZ, what an opportunity
After the devastation of the earthquakes in Christchurch New Zealand, there are now a number of opportunities arising that may very well see Christchurch be a new world leader in innovation and sustainability.
Although the casualties and mass destruction of infrastructure is of course something that would not be wished upon any community but now after the event the opportunity to build a brand new city is being taken very seriously. In the current environmental situation where all global nations are trying to figure out the best way to move forward to reduce the production of carbon into the atmosphere, one way that experts are tackling this in Christchurch is to design a city that is the most advanced sustainable city on the planet.
This weekend there is a 48 hour event at Lincoln University in Christchurch where 115 design professionals will be putting their heads together on how to rebuild the city. The challenge has been organised by the Christchurch City Council as part of its overall approach to the daunting task of making a new city. There are five areas of the city that the Council have selected that need planning and from the 115 design professionals, three teams are working on each of the five areas.
Out of the key sites four of them are in the red zone including the Cathedral Square, the BNZ Building, the Orion NZ Building, and 90 Armagh Street, including the Avon River and Victoria Square. The fifth site is what used to be the Christchurch Women’s Hospital, which is just outside the red zone.
At the end of the 48 hour challenge a judging panel, including internationally recognised, for Sustainable Innovation in Architecture, architect Andrew Patterson and Alex Cutter, who is the chief executive of the New Zealand Green Building Council.
There have been some amazing stories of rescue and survival from the earthquakes and I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about the new innovations in sustainability, design and community planning that will come from this amazing opportunity that Christchurch has.
From a culture and artistic point of view, I have no doubt that this tragic event will also spark some new ideas and influences on the local artists as they express their feelings and insights from their experiences and also their thoughts on the future of Christchurch.
There is a whole website created for the development of rebuilding the city here http://www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz . Have a look and see what they will be doing in the future and some of their reasoning behind the process.
This is a small video is Jasper van der Lingen talking on, “A Unique Opportunity for a New City Floorplan.” Visit the website for more videos and information.
Yours in rebuilding,
Paul.