| PGC Building | |
|---|---|
 The PGC Building on 24 February 2011 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Pyne Gould Corporation building, PGC House |
| General information | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Type | Commercial |
| Architectural style | Postmodern |
| Location | Christchurch Central, New Zealand |
| Address | 233 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch |
| Year(s) built | 1964–1966 |
| Renovated | 1997–1998 |
| Destroyed | 22 February 2011 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Paul Pascoe & Linton Architects |
| Structural engineer | I.L. Holmes Structural Engineers |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Warren and Mahoney |
| Structural engineer | Holmes Consulting Group |
| Main contractor | William Fox |
The PGC Building (also known as the Pyne Gould Corporation building or PGC House) was a five-story postmodern office building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It became infamously associated with the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with images of the failed structure and stories of trapped survivors having been widely broadcast. Eighteen people were killed in the building during the earthquake, and many more were injured, in what was described as a "catastrophic collapse."[1] It was the second most deadly incident in the earthquake after the CTV Building collapse.
Built in the mid-1960s, it was originally used as an office space for the Christchurch Drainage Board. Ownership was transferred to Pyne Gould Corporation in 1997. Over the next decade, the company undertook several projects to renovate the building and also explored options to structurally strengthen it.
In 2011 at the time of its collapse, the PGC Building was home to several related companies: PGC, Marac Finance, Perpetual Trust, Leech and Partners, and Marsh Insurance, which operated across different levels.[2] The building had been declared safe to open after four assessments following the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, but some staff in the building raised concerns after noticing cracks appearing in columns.
A Royal Commission report found that the ductility of the building was poor and the design could not have legally been built according to 2011 building code standards. At the time it was designed, ductile detailing processes had not been introduced as standard. Consequently, the PGC Building was earthquake-prone by modern standards.
Despite structural performance having been investigated during the renovation in the late 90s, the standards of the time did not flag the PGC Building as being at risk, and subsequent renovations were considered to be of good standard. After earthquake performance standards were changed in the 2000s, Holmes Consulting Group performed a full seismic assessment in 2007 on the structure and deemed it would perform "reasonably well" in a report that was accepted by the Christchurch City Council. Other structural assessments also did not find the building posed a risk.[3][1]
The commission concluded that the main factor in the failure of the building was the intense force in the east–west direction of the building overwhelming the structure, which met less than 40% of the building code in 2011.[1][4]
- ^ a b c "Final-Report-Volume-Two-Contents – Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure Caused by the Canterbury Earthquakes". canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Walton, Steven (20 February 2021). "PGC building collapse: A tragedy and a search into night for survivors". Stuff. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Firsthand accounts of the February 2011 earthquake: 'I look at my life now in two different eras'". RNZ. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "233 Cambridge Terrace – Building History | UC QuakeStudies". quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz. Retrieved 13 September 2024.