When disaster strikes, rebuilding is only the first step - ensuring long-term comfort, safety, and resilience is where the real challenge begins. The Oxford Terrace remediation project in Christchurch stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, ingenuity, and persistence in transforming a quake-damaged structure into a building ready to face the future.
.avif)
At a glance
Address: 66 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, NZ
Type of project: Remediation
Status of project: Completed June 2023
Project value: $24M
Client: Russell Property Group
Architect: Wilson & Hill Architects
Oculus rep: Glenda Yee – glenda@obsf.co
The Vision and Our Role
Oxford Terrace presented a rare opportunity - complex, unconventional, and deeply rewarding. After years of inactivity, the project needed a team that could see beyond the immediate damage and approach remediation with fresh eyes.
Oculus was engaged to provide PS2 (Peer Review) and PS4 (Construction Monitoring) services. Our focus: evaluating the enclosure design from a building science perspective and ensuring the built solution would perform as intended - especially in light of significant new structural interventions.
Results and Achievements
This was no standard remediation. The structural upgrade at Oxford Terrace, described by the engineer as one of the most challenging of his career, essentially involved “chopping the building at the base” and installing advanced seismic dampening devices (Tectonus) and rocking wall systems.
This bold approach meant the building would experience significant rocking and uplift movements during seismic events—a scenario that set an entirely new level of complexity for the enclosure. Suddenly, the usual rules for detailing, designing, and installing the building envelope no longer applied; every junction and connection had to cope with dynamic movement, not just static loads.
As is often the case in complex retrofits, the challenges didn’t stop with the engineering drawings - unforeseen site conditions emerged as soon as work began.
Through regular site visits and close partnership with the structural engineers and wider team, Oculus helped navigate this shifting landscape: identifying potential issues early, developing real-time solutions on the ground, and keeping project momentum strong.
Our approach ensured that the enclosure was carefully adapted to these unique structural demands, quality was maintained at every stage, and any surprises were handled quickly and collaboratively, with council compliance always front of mind.
Awards
The project was recognised with the 2024 Award for Pioneering Retrofit Approach to Save Seismically Damaged Building.
Teamwork in Action
Remediation work is rarely straightforward but with the right team, complexity becomes opportunity. At Oxford Terrace, our approach was built on partnership: working side-by-side with Wilson & Hill, Structure Design Ltd, Russell Property Group, and the wider team to keep every detail clear, every challenge tackled head-on, and every solution informed by deep technical understanding.
Recognising Excellence
Oxford Terrace is proof of what’s possible when expertise, open communication, and respect for each discipline come together. Embedding building science from early design through to completion meant challenges were met collaboratively, not just resolved, but used as opportunities for learning and future improvement.
Project Manager: Russell Property Group
Architect: Wilson & Hill
Engineers: Structure Design Ltd
Construction: Dominion Constructors Ltd
Supplier / Installer: Allco Waterproofing Solutions, Thermosash
Facing a complex retrofit or remediation? Let's turn challenges into opportunities.
Let’s talk. Email us at info@obsf.co or get in touch directly to start the conversation.
