Wood is the Way of the Future for Christchurch

Wood is the Way of the Future for Christchurch

While the re-build look and design of Christchurch is still being considered by an architectural ‘think tank’, there is growing support amongst builders, local government representatives and residents that solid wood needs to be the main building material used to resurrect the city.

Lockwood Group CEO, Bryce Heard, says the evidence is very apparent that solid wood is the superior building material to cope with New Zealand’s shaky ground as Lockwood homes in the Canterbury region withstood this month’s major earthquake and sustained no structural damage.

“The Christchurch earthquake of 7.1 on the Richter scale, provided the company with a very valuable scientific study of just how well Lockwood homes coped during the initial quake and more than 450 aftershocks,” said Heard.

Lockwood have been designing and building solid, secure homes for the past 60 years in many cyclone and earthquake prone parts of the world, such as Asia, the United States, the Pacific Islands and the Middle East. Most recently the company has been invited by Chilean authorities to help rebuild the city of Concepcion after its major earthquake earlier this year, which Bryce Heard says is testament to the multiple benefits of building using solid wood.

In the wake of the Christchurch earthquake, the Rotorua-based company quickly dispatched teams to the area offering to inspect all Lockwood homes in the stricken region, and found the homes had taken the quake in their stride.

“Seismic experts tell us there’s a 60 percent chance of another major earthquake in New Zealand in the next ten years. We need to learn from this terrible disaster and re-build a more full-proof city for the future and we see our earthquake proven homes as part of the solution,” said Heard.

Mayoral candidate Jim Anderton is a strong advocate for re-building the City with wood as the main resource saying in a media statement that it would be a ‘New Zealand solution’ which is environmentally friendly, energy efficient and cheaper than using steel or reinforced concrete.

Residents in Darfield, the epicenter of the earthquake, relived their experience of the quake and Christine Robertson said; “Because of the all the aftershocks after the 7.1 earthquake at 4.35am, my husband went next door to see if our neighbour was alright, he then decided it would be safer if ourselves and several other neighbours stayed at her home as being a wooden Lockwood home, we would all be fine to stay there until we felt able to return to our own homes. My husband is a Licensed Builder. “

Fellow Darfield resident Peter Eddy is relieved he has a Lockwood house, “I heard a roar like a freight train coming through the house walls. Then it shook violently for over a minute. The house stood up to the shake very well and the aftershocks since with no damage as it moves,” said Mr. Eddy.

One of the reasons for Lockwood’s reputation for strong, safe homes is its alternative system, which means no nails or timber frames are used during construction.

“The Lockwood system ties adjoining pieces of wood together using aluminum X profiles. These profiles are slid into precision cut dovetails in opposing pieces of solid timber. By using vertical tied rods within the walls at regular intervals, the walls are tied to both the roof and the floor, providing a six sided locked together structure that can withstand most things that nature throws at it,” Heard said.

All structural components are machined to precise specifications, inspected, numbered and treated to meet the New Zealand building standards.

Lockwood is participating in a team lead by Prof Andy Buchanan (Department of Civil & Natural Resources Engineering University of Canterbury, to review timber buildings and the consequential results of the recent earthquake to ensure Christchurch is quickly and safely built back.

ENDS

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