Contracts let following last week’s earthquake in Wellington, New Zealand, include one to demolish a nine-storey building and a project to strengthen a multi-storey car park.

Work is set to start this week to demolish a quake-damaged office block as there are concerns that it could collapse. An 85t ‘ultra-high-reach’ excavator has been moved onto the site ready to start initial demolition works once all services have been disconnected. Demolition is expected to take about two weeks, weather permitting. A hydraulically-powered ‘demolition shear’ at the end of the excavator’s boom will chew through the building’s concrete and steel structure.

Temporary strengthening of the multi-storey Reading Cinema car park in Tory Street is expected to start during the next few days. Steel props and framing will be installed along, possibly, with Kevlar ‘wraps’ on building pillars to stabilise the structure. This work may take up to a month.