Some Christchurch City Council staff are being forced out of their office for around three weeks after a council engineer raised concerns about the seismic performance of part of the building.
The six-storey annex, which connects to the north facade of Te Hononga Civic Offices on Worchester Blvd, was built in 2009.
Engineers had advised the council it may be required to bring the annex to a “higher standard”.
A detailed engineering assessment was underway and expected to be completed in three weeks.
Christchurch City Council chief executive Mary Richardson said it was taking a “precautionary approach” and that safety was paramount.
“As a result, staff will be relocated to other parts of the main Te Hononga building or to other Council facilities until we receive the report.”
Richardson said once the findings had been received, staff would either return to their desks or work would begin to strengthening the annex’s connection to the main building.
A range of relocation options was being developed, she added.
“I want to thank staff, elected members and visitors to our Civic Offices for their patience and understanding. We want to minimise disruption as much as possible,” she said.
“We’re in a period of uncertainty and people may have questions that we may not be able to answer until we have all the details while we wait for the outcome of the report.”
