May 2018
The heaviest crane lift to be undertaken as part of the Christchurch Convention Centre’s construction has been carried out today with a 50-tonne spine truss successfully placed across the length of the auditorium.
Ōtākaro Limited Chief Executive Albert Brantley says getting this 50-tonne, 45-metre-long truss into place took nerves of steel.
“The 280-tonne crawler crane was fitted with a ‘superlift’ to get the truss into its very precise spot. It’s the heaviest lift that will be carried out during the Convention Centre's construction and is likely to be one of the biggest such lifts across the rebuild to date.”
The truss runs East to West over the 1400 seat auditorium and will support the roof.
Around 10,000m3 of concrete has now been poured and around 150 tonnes of steel put in place for the facility.
“The steel is going up at a great rate and you can start to see what a central city landmark the Convention Centre is set to be and the great views you will get from it of Victoria Square and Avon River Precinct,” says Mr Brantley.
Construction is on track to be completed at the beginning of 2020, with the first events to be held later that year.