Christchurch has had a big project on recently, the new Central City library, dubbed “Tūranga”. Tūranga will be a cultural hub for Christchurch and an important civic space that attracts people back into the central city. It is due to open in 2018.
The plan for this library is for it to:
- be a place for people to go to read, learn, study, swap ideas, do research, try new technology and socialise.
- offer easy access to lending and reference material, digital resources, and local, heritage and special collections.
- provide a wide range of programmes, events, exhibitions and experiences for all people of all ages and backgrounds.
- support the wider Christchurch library network which includes 19 community, mobile and digital libraries.
Being 9,850m2 in size, it will be the largest public library in the South Island and about a third larger than the old Library. The Council’s total budgeted cost for the building and land is $92.7 million. It is a key anchor project and part of the Christchurch Rebuild Program.
We at Sitenets Ltd were right in the middle of this project, taking care of the safety net install throughout the build. A project of this size requires careful attention to ensure that all areas are covered when it comes to safety. Spanning several floors and many square meters, a lot of netting is involved in a project like this.
Here is a time lapse video showing the progress of the build: