Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct contractor announced

Justice Minister Judith Collins today announced Fletcher Construction Company Limited has been awarded the main contract to construct the new Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct.

“Construction of the Precinct will be one of the largest multi-agency government co-location projects in New Zealand history. I welcome Fletcher Construction’s commitment to delivering this project,” Ms Collins says.

“The Precinct will return justice and emergency services to Christchurch’s central business district, not just to their pre-earthquake state, but to a position of innovation, collaboration and new ways of working together.”

The $300 million anchor project, led by the Ministry of Justice, marks a bringing together of all justice and emergency response agencies in one location. The 40,000 square metre precinct will house courtrooms, Police, Corrections and a purpose-built, state of the art Emergency Operations Centre.

Construction of the Precinct will begin immediately and will be supported by local subcontractors and national and international partners where needed.

The Precinct is due to open by the end of 2016 and, once complete, will see the return of an estimated 2,000 people daily going about their business in the inner city.

“With significant public interest in progress on the site, a time-lapse camera will feed pictures from today so that the community and the people of Christchurch can follow the progress,” Ms Collins says.

Specialist design of the Precinct will ensure emergency services and civil defence response systems remain operational in an extreme seismic event.

Downer, the early works contractor, is nearing completion of the precinct’s ground stabilisation and improvement, during which more than 25,000 cubic metres of soil has been stabilised – equivalent to 10 Olympic size swimming pools –with 3,500 cubic metres of cement and placed back in the ground to support a heavy duty 1.2 metre thick concrete raft which will be the base for two of the precinct’s three buildings.

For more information about the precinct and its other contract appointments visit http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector/christchurch-precinct.

Short film of earthworks time-lapse footage (1m40sec) Precinct Timelapse June 2014 ONLINE.f4v (available in HD, HD without music and small file for web).

Time-lapse camera feed http://ccdu.govt.nz/projects-and-precincts/justice-and-emergency-services-precinct.

Facebook page https://facebook.com/JusticeandEmergencyServicesPrecinct.