Former landmark CBD building to rise from rubble

Work will begin this year on a new medium-rise office building on the former landmark BNZ House site in Cathedral Sq.

Concept plans were today unveiled for the 13-level office building designed by Warren and Mahoney.

Owned by Cristo Ltd, a small private company of local investors, 2 Cathedral Sq will rise 50m and contain 11,000m2 of leasable space, including penthouse levels. It will have a similar shape and size to the previous building but incorporate the latest engineering and design features.

Construction is dependent on pre-leasing and availability of insurance but the owners intend to begin this year with completion scheduled for 2015.

Jonathan Lyttle and Ryan Geddes, specialist office leasing agents at Colliers International, said the medium-rise block would have a 5 Green Star rating. Clad in glass on three sides, areas of the exterior would bear the same green welsh slate as the former building.

"The owners appreciate that they have one of the most important sites in Christchurch on a major intersection and they want the building to help open the south east end of the Square to be a more vibrant and welcoming place.

"This design respects the landmark building that anchored that corner of the Square for almost 50 years while signaling a more user friendly approach."

Structural engineerJohn Hare of Holmes Consulting said the owners are investigating designing the building with deep piles and a steel frame with seismic dampers togive significantly improved performanceif there were morelarge earthquakes.

"The dampers are similar to large shock absorbers which would dissipate energy in the event of an earthquake, reducing the amount of movement felt bytenants, and reducing the damage to their contents," Hare said.

The seismic dampers on the Colombo St end of the building will be a visibledesign feature, encased in glass walls so that tenants can see the engineering in the building.

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Former landmark CBD building to rise from rubble