Earthquake-prone NZDF buildings contained

  • 31/03/2016
Earthquake-prone NZDF buildings contained

Containers have been used to cordon off a Defence Force building in Wellington which only meets 9 percent of the building code.

The General Officer in Command Headquarters on the corner of Taranaki St and Buckle St is currently vacant, but is in a busy thoroughfare for vehicles and people.

Shipping containers were placed around the building overnight to help keep the public safe in the event of a large earthquake.

An assessment is being done to look at the earthquake risk of other NZDF buildings and to do remedial work to minimise risks to the public.

Another building, the HMNZS Olphert, on the same site only meets 10 percent of the national building standard but is less of a risk to people because it is away from the public.

The NZDF says no decisions have been made about the site in the long-term, but will be retained as much as possible to acknowledge the building's heritage and historical value.

The headquarters was built between 1911 and 1913 and was originally the Defence Stores Office.

In 1930, it was converted into office spaces and was used by the NZDF and other government departments until it was vacated more than 22 years ago.

Newshub.