Only a few months ago, Bishop Peter Carrell of Christchurch, New Zealand, said the project to rebuild the city’s namesake cathedral might have to be scrapped if more funding could not be found by August. He said the reinstatement project, as it is called, faced a shortfall of $144 million.
The cathedral suffered catastrophic damage during an earthquake in 2011.
The bishop has now announced revisions to the rebuilding project that make the rebuilding more likely. The diocesan synod agreed to a reduced seismic capacity that is similar to designs used in other, similar buildings.
“The cathedral will meet 67 percent New Building Standard without the complex and risky installation of the base isolators,” Bishop Carrell said in a report by Anglican Taonga. “This would also attract significant savings of time. Christchurch Cathedral Reinstatement Limited is continuing to explore further savings to achieve a target cost in the range of $209 to $219 million, with a resulting funding gap of $75 to $85 million.”
The bishop added: “This is not 100 percent, but it is an acceptable and safe standard reached by other churches and public buildings, including the Christchurch Arts Centre, which was built in the same period, with similar construction and materials to the cathedral.”
Mark Stewart, chairman of Christchurch Cathedral Reinstatement Project Ltd., said he was heartened by the synod’s support.
“The project as originally agreed [by the church, government, and city council] is no longer attainable. The decisions made by synod will make a major difference to the overall project cost and demonstrate good will for upcoming discussions with council and government,” he said.
Christ Church Cathedral was consecrated in 1881 on what was once known as Ridley Square. It has survived earthquakes in 1881, 1888, 1901, and 2011. After the 2011 quake, award-winning architect Shigeru Ban designed an innovative transitional cathedral made of timber and steel, but also of durable cardboard tubes.
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. John’s Parish Church on Johns Island, South Carolina.
