CTV Building
Encyclopedia
The CTV Building was the headquarters of Canterbury Television
(locally known as CTV) and other companies. Located in the Christchurch Central City
on the corner of Cashel and Madras Streets, it became one of the symbols of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. More than 100 people lost their lives in the building; more than half of the earthquake's fatalities occurred when this one building collapsed.
(in 1935, 1965, 1976, 1984 and 1992). A significant change in design philosophy was the change from non-ductile
design of a reinforced concrete structure to a ductile approach, where it is expected that building joints yield in design earthquake events, which might make a structure uninhabitable but without it collapsing. The CTV Building was of the former design philosophy, which has a risk of catastrophic collapse. Stefano Pampanin, a Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury
who teaches in structural and seismic design, described the non-ductile philosophy as "an obsolete design based on the levels of knowledge and code provisions that existed before the mid-1980s". The structural design engineer was Alan Reay Consultants, a firm based in Christchurch.
The CTV Building was inspected by engineers after the 4 September 2010 Canterbury earthquake
and after the 26 December 2010 4.9 magnitude
aftershock. On both occasions, the building was declared safe, having suffered only superficial damage. The building collapsed in the 22 February 2011 earthquake and due to its high death toll of over 100 people has become one of the symbols of the earthquake.
The building was owned since 1991 by Madras Equities, a company owned by shareholders Russell Warren Ibbotson and Lionel Walter Hunter. Hunter lost a friend in the building and told a reporter if he had known that there was anything wrong with the building, "I would have pushed it over myself."
As of 14 April 2011, New Zealand Police
have released the names of 172 earthquake victims. A total death toll of 181 is expected. The as yet unnamed victims are expected to all have perished in the CTV Building. The chief coroner, judge Neil MacLean, has suggested a mass grave for the remaining victims, as they may never be identified.
King's Education is an ESL
school which was located on the 3rd floor of the CTV building. There were an estimated 87 regular students and 27 visiting students in the building at the time of the earthquake, as well as 17 staff members. Lunch at King's started at 12:30 pm, so many King's personnel were not in the building when the earthquake struck. The loss of hard copy and server records in the earthquake complicated the school's attempts to contact students and next-of-kin, so as a last resort, the school decided to post best-known student and staff status and location on the Internet in spite of privacy issues, in an effort to update friends and relatives and to find students who are not accounted for but who were not in the building at the time of its collapse. As of 13 April 2011, King's Education lists 68 students and 9 teachers on their website as "missing in the earthquake", including the principal and head teacher.
Fifteen CTV staff are believed to have died, including presenter Jo Giles
.
Canterbury Television
Canterbury Television is an independent television station broadcasting in Canterbury, New Zealand.The name is synonymous with regional television in New Zealand as it was the name of the first regional broadcaster to operate in New Zealand. CTV produces and screens more than twenty hours of...
(locally known as CTV) and other companies. Located in the Christchurch Central City
Christchurch Central City
Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the four avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green...
on the corner of Cashel and Madras Streets, it became one of the symbols of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. More than 100 people lost their lives in the building; more than half of the earthquake's fatalities occurred when this one building collapsed.
History
The CTV Building was designed in the 1970s and constructed about 1986. Building codes for earthquake design changed frequently in New Zealand following the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on Tuesday 3 February 1931, killing 256 and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster...
(in 1935, 1965, 1976, 1984 and 1992). A significant change in design philosophy was the change from non-ductile
Ductility
In materials science, ductility is a solid material's ability to deform under tensile stress; this is often characterized by the material's ability to be stretched into a wire. Malleability, a similar property, is a material's ability to deform under compressive stress; this is often characterized...
design of a reinforced concrete structure to a ductile approach, where it is expected that building joints yield in design earthquake events, which might make a structure uninhabitable but without it collapsing. The CTV Building was of the former design philosophy, which has a risk of catastrophic collapse. Stefano Pampanin, a Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
who teaches in structural and seismic design, described the non-ductile philosophy as "an obsolete design based on the levels of knowledge and code provisions that existed before the mid-1980s". The structural design engineer was Alan Reay Consultants, a firm based in Christchurch.
The CTV Building was inspected by engineers after the 4 September 2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
and after the 26 December 2010 4.9 magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
aftershock. On both occasions, the building was declared safe, having suffered only superficial damage. The building collapsed in the 22 February 2011 earthquake and due to its high death toll of over 100 people has become one of the symbols of the earthquake.
The building was owned since 1991 by Madras Equities, a company owned by shareholders Russell Warren Ibbotson and Lionel Walter Hunter. Hunter lost a friend in the building and told a reporter if he had known that there was anything wrong with the building, "I would have pushed it over myself."
Tenants
The building's main tenant was Canterbury Television and the company held the naming rights. CTV occupied the first and second floor. A language school, King's Education, had the third floor. A medical clinic, The Clinic, was on the fourth floor and a company called Relationship Services was on the fifth floor. A nursing school was also located in the building.2011 Christchurch earthquake
The building collapsed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. One survivor was quoted as running out of the ground floor during the shaking. When she had reached the other side of the 14 meter wide road, she looked back and "the building was down." Within minutes, a fire broke out. Most of the deaths were caused by the collapse, but it is assumed that some of the victims burned to death, and some may have even drowned during the efforts of putting the fire out.As of 14 April 2011, New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
have released the names of 172 earthquake victims. A total death toll of 181 is expected. The as yet unnamed victims are expected to all have perished in the CTV Building. The chief coroner, judge Neil MacLean, has suggested a mass grave for the remaining victims, as they may never be identified.
King's Education is an ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
school which was located on the 3rd floor of the CTV building. There were an estimated 87 regular students and 27 visiting students in the building at the time of the earthquake, as well as 17 staff members. Lunch at King's started at 12:30 pm, so many King's personnel were not in the building when the earthquake struck. The loss of hard copy and server records in the earthquake complicated the school's attempts to contact students and next-of-kin, so as a last resort, the school decided to post best-known student and staff status and location on the Internet in spite of privacy issues, in an effort to update friends and relatives and to find students who are not accounted for but who were not in the building at the time of its collapse. As of 13 April 2011, King's Education lists 68 students and 9 teachers on their website as "missing in the earthquake", including the principal and head teacher.
Fifteen CTV staff are believed to have died, including presenter Jo Giles
Jo Giles
Joanne "Jo" May Giles was a New Zealand television presenter and former representative sportswoman. She represented the country in pistol shooting at the 1997 Oceanian Championships in Adelaide, and the 2000 World Cup in Sydney...
.