The Neoclassical Robert McDougall Gallery is one of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s most significant heritage buildings, originally completed in 1932 with a generous donation from local businessman Robert McDougall.
This taonga (treasure) has been closed since it was assessed as an earthquake-prone building in the wake of the February 2011 earthquake. However, strengthening of the building is now underway, and the redevelopment will see the McDougall Gallery restored, made safe and reopened to the public as a vibrant addition to Canterbury’s art offering.
Adding base isolation in a new waterproof basement under the existing art gallery structure will bring the building up to 100% NBS. The art gallery will then be linked to the adjacent museum via a new glazed atrium.
Cook Brothers Construction completed the first phase of the works, making the building safe before commencement of the seismic upgrade works. Before handing over to the seismic upgrade main contractor Leighs Construction, Cook Brothers retained Prendos to complete a detailed photographic condition assessment of the external and internal building fabric.
Because the condition assessment needed to occur at the very end of the make safe works by Cook Brothers, there was a very limited window to attend site and complete our photographic condition assessment. During our inspection we worked closely with Cook Brothers to ensure safe access and sufficient temporary lighting was provided. We completed the survey with only two surveyors, achieving a consistent approach to gathering the required level of photographic detail.
Using the latest iPhone cameras and extension poles to gather detailed images of the double storey central atrium, our building surveyors captured over 6000 photographs to document the building’s condition. These were recorded elevation by elevation, roof by roof and room by room on an element by element basis. Our photos, along with descriptions, were provided to Cook Brothers in a PDF condition report with hyperlinks to the photos for ease of reference. Resized and full-size photos were provided and tagged to the precise location taken.
Capturing the building’s condition in this way provides an incredibly detailed record of the condition of each building fabric element, giving Cook Brothers assurance prior to handover and the commencement of the seismic upgrade works.
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