City Council told its estimates for strengthening the Library are ‘ludicrous … not acceptable’

Wellington.Scoop
Wellington structural engineer Adam Thornton today challenged the estimates from the Wellington City Council for strengthening the Central Library. He said the strengthening costs were not acceptable and the work could be done for much less.

Mr Thornton, who has more than 40 years experience in strengthening and restructuring Wellington buildings, told a council meeting this morning that he had spoken with three substantial Wellington contractors and they confirmed his belief that the estimates for strengthening and retrofitting the Central Library were significantly greater than for comparative projects in the city.

Further, he said: “It is just not conceivable that the cost of strengthening a relatively modern building should be significantly greater than the cost of a new building.”

Adam Thornton also said that the estimates were significantly inflated by the inclusion of a 20 per cent contingency. And the allowance for building services and fitout were “extremely generous.”

He confirmed that the cheapest option for strengthening the building, which would add supports to hold the floors in place, would get the building to 60 per cent of NBS and make it safe. But he believed that base isolation would be the best long term solution, though it could be postponed for ten years till the council paid for other major projects such as the convention centre.

He acknowledged the strong public desire to get the Central Library reopened.

Architect Roger Walker said that demolition of the Central Library would be “unthinkable.” He said the building was recognised throughout the world, and was part of a Category 1 listed heritage precinct. Its architect Sir Ian Athfield was one of only two NZ architects knighted for the services to architecture.

He echoed the concerns of Adam Thornton and said he was “incredibly unbelieving” of the costings for retention versus demolition. “I have no idea where these ludicrous figures come from.”

He said his firm does a lot of strengthening of Wellington buildings and there was a relatively simple way of bolting the floor to a steel beam to increase its safety.

“You are more likely to be hit by a bus or a car than killed in the library.”

Kate Linzey of the Wellington Architectural Centre said the Central Library was a ground-breaking post-modern building. “It is essential city infrastructure. Its emptiness is traumatic. We cannot wait for years to get it reopened. It needs to be partially restrengthened and then the next steps can be considered.”

Former mayor Helene Ritchie said a barricaded library in the heart of the city would be an example of council ineptitude and paralysis. She asked councillors to make a unanimous decision to remediate the building in the most cost effective way and to reopen it in the earliest possible time.

The council postponed its decision till next week. Mayor Foster said he recognised that the public wanted a decision as quickly as possible, but he said more advice was needed. He would then aim to have a preferred option to be considered next week.

Adam Thornton said the estimates should be reviewed by a group of city builders. engineers and architects with a brief of “we want to make the building safe and it needs to be affordable.”

Earlier news from Wellington.Scoop
Wellington city councillors will this morning be asked to approve a staff paper which would keep the Central Library closed till at least 2026. The meeting will be livestreamed on youtube starting at 9.30.

Among the public speakers at the start of the meeting will be Wellington.Scoop editor Lindsay Shelton (speaking at 9.50) and distinguished Wellington architect Roger Walker who speaks at 10.00.

Most importantly, the highly experienced structural engineer Adam Thornton is speaking to the council at 10.10. Last July Thornton said that strengthening the Library could be done for $68 million. The work could be carried out in stages, he said, with re-entry being possible after the first stage. Work could start in two months if the council had the will … The council did not respond to his proposal and did not show any will to get work started quickly, in spite of enormous public concerns.

Instead, council staff are today recommending that $200m is necessary in order to strengthen the library. A figure which is disputed by many people.