| Justice and Emergency Services Precinct | |
|---|---|
 The Precinct in 2019 | |
 Interactive map of Justice and Emergency Services Precinct | |
| General information | |
| Type | Government |
| Architectural style | Contemporary |
| Location | 20 Lichfield Street, Christchurch Central City,New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°32′3.07309″S172°38′2.84053″E / 43.5341869694°S 172.6341223694°E /-43.5341869694; 172.6341223694 |
| Current tenants | |
| Year built | 2014–2017 |
| Groundbreaking | 22 January 2014 |
| Completed | September 2017 |
| Opened | 12 September 2017 |
| Cost | NZ$300 million |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Floor area | 42,000m2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | |
| Structural engineer | Holmes Consulting Group |
| Services engineer | WSP Opus |
| Civil engineer | Holmes Consulting Group |
| Main contractor | Fletcher Construction |
TheJustice and Emergency Services Precinct is a building complex in central Christchurch, New Zealand. It comprises three buildings: the Justice Building, the Emergency Services Building, and a car park for operational vehicles. It was constructed in the mid-2010s to houseNew Zealand Police and theDepartment of Corrections, law courts including the Christchurch District Court, as well asFire and Emergency New Zealand,St John New Zealand, and the local and government Civil Defence agencies. The combined floor size of the Precinct is 42,000m2 and is the largest multi-agency co-location project by the government in the history of New Zealand to date.
The Precinct was developed as a key anchor project in the rebuild of Christchurch following the2011 Christchurch earthquake. It was the first significant public building constructed and opened by the government following the earthquakes. The building was opened by Prime MinisterBill English in a ceremony on 12 September 2017.
In December 2019, two years after opening, the Precinct had undergone 1800 unplanned repairs at a cost ofNZ$5.5 million, including replacing unsafe glass, fixing multiple leaks, and roughly 500 call-outs to repair the air conditioning system. ThePublic Service Association subsequently criticised the issues in a public statement.
Following the2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Christchurch central business district underwent a substantial redesign as part of theCanterbury Earthquake Recovery project. The Justice and Emergency Services Precinct was first announced in July 2012 by Prime MinisterJohn Key, as a major anchor project to be led by theMinistry of Justice.[1] The 2012 plan defined four precincts for the central business district: health, arts and entertainment, retail, and justice and emergency.[2] The Precinct would provide a new home for emergency services in Christchurch, with many key buildings having been damaged or lost in the quake, including theChristchurch Central Police Station.[3]
In September 2013, Justice MinisterJudith Collins released new details of the project, describing it as "one of the largest multi-agency government co-location projects in New Zealand history", and estimating that around 2000 people would visit the building on a daily basis, including 1200 people working in the complex.[4][5][6] A substantial inner-city land parcel was required for the project; in October 2013, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery MinisterGerry Brownlee announced that most of the land had been secured in agreements between landowners and theCCDU.[7]
The Precinct was architecturally designed by a consortium ofWarren & Mahoney,Cox Architecture, andOpus Architecture. It was the largest multi-agency government project in New Zealand's history.[8] The structural, civil andgeotechnical engineering was undertaken by Holmes Consulting; the seismic design of the building usesbase isolation and is built to an 'Importance level 4' standard.[6][9] The property has three buildings: the Justice Building, the Emergency Services Building, and a car park for operational vehicles. It has five floors with a total floor area of 42,000m2.[6][10][11] The building also usesaquifer thermal energy storage for heating and cooling.[10]
The site has an inner-courtyard which can be seen through a full-height, glazed public atrium.[11][10] The architects rejected traditional design of the court buildings, which they described as "intimidating" spaces, and opted for a layout which felt more open and light. The design emphasises natural light, views out into the courtyard and city, and easy access and flow into the building, with a design language intended to decrease the sense of stress associated with justice and emergency buildings.[11]
The exterior of the building is largely made of concrete and glass, softened with metal bronze accents.[11] There are two artworks on the facade by artistLonnie Hutchinson: "Kahu Matarau" which is made of 1400anodised aluminium panels, and "Pikihuia i te ao, i te pō", a series of flat glass panels on the side of the building which also provide privacy and protect from sun.[12][13][14][10] CulturalMāori designs are also featured in the interior, includingtāniko patterns in timber ceiling panels,kōwhaiwhai designs in sandblasted basalt flooring, and the Puhoro pattern in window glazing, and carved door pulls made from the nativeblack Maire, among other design pieces integrated into aspects of the building.[15]
The Precinct had won several design awards. In 2018, it won both the Public Architecture and Interior Architecture categories at theNZIA Canterbury Awards.[11][16] In 2019, the building received Commendation in the Public Architecture category of the international chapter of theAustralian Institute of Architects.[11]
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The project cost NZ$300 million to complete.[6] Construction of the building was undertaken byFletchter Construction.[6] Thegroundbreaking ceremony happened on 22 January 2014, with Justice MinisterJudith Collins and Prime MinisterJohn Key turning the first ground.[17] The initial work saw 20,000 cubic metres of soil excavated and 2,500 tonnes of cement used to create a 1.2 metre concrete base.[17]
The complex is set on land betweenColombo, Durham, Lichfield and Tuam Streets.[9] A lane was created, running north through the property, connecting the latter two streets. Collins named the lane after JusticeSir Robert Chambers, who died unexpectedly in 2013 months before the announcement.[8] Some criticised the lack of consultation in naming the lane, due to Chambers having little connection to Canterbury and a personal connection to Collins.[18][19]
Fletcher Construction aimed to complete the project by 31 March 2017, but pushed the date back twice.[20][21] In 2017, during the late stages of the construction, around 1000 people were working on site to complete the project.[6] The building was completed in late 2017, and was officially opened on 12 September 2017 by MinisterAmy Adams and Prime MinisterBill English.[6][22] However, some further work was required to finish it, leading to a month-long delay before the building could be largely utilised.[22]
In December 2019, two years after the building was opened, thePublic Service Association claimed the building was too small, and criticised the quality of the project. It was reported that the building had undergone 1800 unplanned repairs at a cost ofNZ$5.5 million, including replacing unsafe glass, fixing multiple leaks, and around 500 call-outs to repair the air conditioning system.[23]
The Precinct houses the Christchurch branch of theMinistry of Justice and its related departments, including the Christchurch District Court.[6][24] The courts and hearing rooms can be accessed from both Lichfield and Tuam Street. There are 19 courtrooms across three levels, with the Māori Land Court on the ground floor.[25][11] The first level has minimal security and is open to the public. It rises 4.5 metres above the ground, where bothcell blocks and foundation base isolators are located below.[10] TheNew Zealand Police also operate in an area kept separate from the courts and judges.[10]
The police building houses the Emergency Operations Centre, an open space covering two floors. It has a wall of computer screens and operates as a command centre for use by emergency services and civil defence. It also has power generation capability and food and water provisions in case of a natural disaster.[10]
Part of the building is used byFire and Emergency New Zealand andSt John New Zealand. However, they keep most of their vehicles offsite.[10] The building also houses some offices forChristchurch City Council andEnvironment Canterbury as a secondary premises.[10]
Media related toJustice and Emergency Services Precinct at Wikimedia Commons