Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch

Hotel Grand Chancellor
Hotel Grand Chancellor in 2010
Map
Alternative namesGrand Chancellor Hotel
General information
TypeCommercial
LocationChristchurch Central, New Zealand
Completed1986
Renovated1995
Demolished2012
OwnerGrand Hotels International
Height85 meters
Design and construction
DeveloperDon Forbes
Main contractorForbes Construction
Renovating team
Renovating firmFletchers Construction

The Hotel Grand Chancellor (also known as the Grand Chancellor Hotel) was a major four-star hotel in the centre of Christchurch in New Zealand, one of eleven Hotel Grand Chancellor establishments across Australasia. Until 2010, it was the city's tallest building standing at 85 metres (279 ft) and 21 storeys,[1][2] until it was overtaken by the 86.5 metres (284 ft) tall Pacific Tower.[3]

The Hotel Grand Chancellor was built in 1986 for office use by Forbes Construction. In 1995 it was converted to a hotel by Fletchers Construction with 15 floors of hotel accommodation, and 12 floors of car parking, also housing conference facilities for businesses.[1]

The building was severely damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, causing a visible lean on the south-east corner of the building. The fragile state of the structure created challenges during the search and rescue effort, with risk of collapse threatening City Mall and the surrounding area.

Demolition work began in November 2011, using a complicated deconstruction method starting from the roof and working down. Initial plans to rebuild the hotel on the same site were scrapped in 2014, and the original site was repurposed for retail space. In 2019, Grand Central announced plans to build a new, smaller hotel in a different part of the city.

Construction and design

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The Hotel Grand Chancellor building was originally developed as an office tower by Don Forbes in 1986. It was constructed using reinforced concrete.[2][4]

In 1995, the tower was bought by Singapore-based Grand Hotels International, and was refitted as a hotel. It included 176 rooms and a carpark.[4][5]

Christchurch earthquakes

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A visible lean can be seen in this photo taken minutes after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake occurred

The hotel survived the September 2010 earthquake and reopened shortly after, but was badly damaged by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake five months later.

The collapse of a key supporting shear wall "D5-6" located in the south-east corner of the building led to the visible leaning of the building to one side. It also contributed to the staircases (above level 14) collapsing.[6] The southeast corner had dropped 800mm, putting the tower on an estimated 1.3 meter lean.[2][7] Investigations found the building had vertical and horizontal irregularities and the failed shear wall was too slender; an initial inquiry by the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission questioned whether the structure failed to meet 1980s building standards.[2]

Above the 14th floor, 36 people were trapped and spent several hours in the damaged building during a series of large aftershocks, before being all successfully rescued.[8][9]

Fear that the building would totally collapse hampered search and rescue missions in the vicinity, and also raised concerns about how to safely demolish the tower if it remained standing.[10][11] The building was eventually stabilised using steel jackets wrapped around damaged columns and concrete pads to support the structure.[4] On 4 March it was decided the building would be demolished over the following six months using a complicated deconstruction processes from the top downwards.[12] The roof of the hotel was removed in early November 2011. A protective fence was built around the building to catch debris from the demolition of the concrete frame, which began on January 2012.[13] The project was undertaken by Ward Demolition.[7]

Rebuild

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The Grand Hotels International, owners of the former Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch gained city council approval to rebuild on the site. The new hotel would have been on base isolators at 50 metres (160 ft) high and have 12 floors in the hotel and 5-floor office block in the front. The new design was from Warren and Mahoney architects and was to be built by Fletcher Construction, and finished by 2015.[14]

In April 2014, it was announced that the hotel would not be rebuilt on its original site, and would be replaced by shops and offices instead. The Grand Hotels International group expressed interest in building the hotel on a different site in the city.[15]

In September 2019, Grand Central confirmed that a replacement hotel would be on a new site on the southwest corner of Manchester and Armagh streets.[16]

Legacy

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As one of the biggest buildings in Christchurch at the time, and due to the dramatic visual of the tower leaning, the Hotel Grand Chancellor became a widely published subject of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[17]

Pieces of twisted steel rod from the building have been preserved by Canterbury Museum as part of their earthquake collection.[18]

In February 2020, Prime TV debuted Help Is On The Way, a documentary about the tower and the rescue effort.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Hotel Grand Chancellor". Emporis GmbH. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Hotel Grand Chancellor hearing: Summary for the hearing" (PDF). Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission. 9 March 2012 [2012-01-17]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Christchurch's tallest buildings – Top 20". Emporis GmbH. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Schouten, Hank (2 March 2011). "Strengthening of leaning Christchurch hotel begins". Stuff. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Christchurch earthquake: Wrecker's tip for leaning tower". NZ Herald. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Structural Performance of Christchurch CBD Buildings in the 22 February 2011 Aftershock" (PDF). New Zealand Department of Building and Housing.
  7. ^ a b "Grand Chancellor Earthquake Damage · Ward Demolition". Ward Demolition. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. ^ ""Help is on the Way"". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  9. ^ Mulligan, Jesse (21 February 2020). "Help Is On The Way: TV doco remembers the 2011 Christchurch earthquake". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Hotel Grand Chancellor on verge of collapse". The New Zealand Herald. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  11. ^ Gibson, Anne; Cheng, Derek; Tapaleao, Vaimoana (24 February 2011). "Christchurch earthquake: Terror on top of tallest building set to collapse". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  12. ^ Hartevelt, John (5 March 2011). "Christchurch earthquake: Demolitions key to CBD access". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 March 2011. Updated
  13. ^ "Hotel's roof is off – now just 28 floors of concrete to go". stuff.co.nz. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  14. ^ McDonald, Liz (23 September 2013). "12-storey building gets go-ahead". The Press. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  15. ^ McDonald, Liz (18 April 2014). "New plans for Hotel Grand Chancellor site". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  16. ^ McDonald, Liz (11 September 2019). "Grand Chancellor confirms site for new hotel in central Christchurch". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  17. ^ a b Harvey, Kerry (13 February 2020). "Help Is On The Way tells the story of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake hotel rescue". Stuff. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Steel Rod: Hotel Grand Chancellor". Canterbury Museum Collection Online. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch.
Records
Preceded by
Rydges Hotel (former Noah's)
 Tallest building in Christchurch
1986–2010 		Succeeded by

43°31′58″S 172°38′20″E / 43.5328°S 172.6390°E / -43.5328; 172.6390

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