Club Tower

Club Tower
Club Tower in 2019
Alternative names	Anthony Harper Tower, HSBC Building
General information
Type	Commercial
Architectural style	Contemporary
Location	Christchurch Central, New Zealand
Coordinates	43°31′52.16″S 172°37′54.88″E
Year(s) built	2007–2009
Height	45 meters
Technical details
Floor count	13
Floor area	10000 square meters
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Weirwalker Architecture
Main contractor	Hawkins
Awards and prizes	ADNZ National Winner in Sustainable Design & Special Projects

Club Tower (also known as the Anthony Harper Tower, and formerly the HSBC Building) is a contemporary tower in the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Built in the late 2000s, it was the first building in Christchurch to receive a 5-star rating under the voluntary Green Star sustainability system, and was the first A-grade commercial building completed in the city since 1989. It received a national sustainability award in 2009 by Architectural Designers New Zealand.

Club Tower gets its namesake from the neighbouring Canterbury Club, and was built on land purchased from the historical society. However, the tower has been colloquially known by the names of various tenants who have occupied the building over the years and acquired the rights to add their logos to the facade. Until 2017, it was known as the HSBC Building, and subsequently, the Anthony Harper Tower.

Club Tower is considered one of the best performing structures in the city in terms of earthquake resilience, incurring no structural damage in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and has been the subject of case studies on high-rise earthquake performance.

Construction and design

In 2004, Latitude Group purchased land from the historic Canterbury Club for a reported NZ$4m. The club used the funds to restore its neighbouring heritage building and build new amenities.^[1] As of such, the tower was named after the club.

Club Tower was designed by Robert Weir and Jason Walker, and constructed by Hawkins for Latitude Group. Construction began in late 2007 with site excavation in September,^[2][3] with construction taking place through 2008.^[4] The building was completed by 2009 and opened mid that year.^[1] The structure is approximately 45 meters tall and has thirteen levels, including three floors of parking from basement through to the first level, nine floors of commercial space, and two penthouses on the top floor. A cafe operates on the ground floor.^[5][6][7]

Club Tower was designed to meet a 5-star rating under the Green Star system, a voluntary sustainability rating system used throughout Australasia. It was the first building in Christchurch to achieve this standard, as well as being one of the first A-grade commercial buildings constructed in the city since 1989. The tower is supported by a 350 tonne steel structure made from 97% recycled materials.^[5][8][1][9]

Earthquake performance

As a new structure built to a modern standard, Club Tower did not experience any structural damage from either the 2010 Canterbury earthquake nor the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, and is regarded as a good example of high-rise earthquake performance.^[10][11][12] Some minor, non-structural damage was addressed following the latter event, mainly drywall damage. In 2018 as a precautionary measure, Structex implemented a reinforced concrete basement raft foundation to provide additional protection from neighbouring structures.^[12][7][13]

Following the 2011 earthquake, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority moved into the building due to its safety and central location, with CEO Roger Sutton occupying a top-floor office. The tower was reopened in July and fully occupied, becoming one of the first large buildings to do so.^{[14][15][13][16]}

Ownership and tenancy

Club Tower in 2024 with the Anthony Harper branding

Club Tower opened in mid-2009. In 2010, Latitude Group listed the building for sale, seeking to release money to use on other projects. In 2012, Latitude Group sold the building to City Mall landlord Nick Hunt for NZ$26m. It is currently held by his company, Lichfield Holdings.^[14][1][17]

As one of the original tenants, HSBC occupied the upper floors and originally branded the building with its logo. The company continued to lease the office space until 2017, when it was announced HSBC would be leaving the tower and moving its operations to Wellington.^[18] The tower is now branded with the logos of its current main tenant, Anthony Harper.^[19]

As of 2024, the building is home to government agencies and high-profile local and international organisations, including Savills New Zealand,^[20] Crown-owned company Ōtākaro,^[21] private wealth management company JBWere,^[22] and Colliers International.^[3]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Christchurch

References

1. Taylor, Colin (3 July 2010). "Garden city's trophy tower up for sale". NZ Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
2. "62 Worcester Street construction site". Originally uploaded to Kete Christchurch. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
3. "Tower under way". The Press. 11 December 2007. pp. C10. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
4. "Construction of 62 Worcester Street". Originally uploaded to Kete Christchurch. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
5. "Club Tower". Hawkins NZ | New Zealand’s Leading construction company. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
6. "Club Tower". Architectural Designers New Zealand. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
7. "Club Tower, Christchurch | 296433". Emporis. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021.
8. "Club Tower". NZGBC. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
9. "Club Tower 5 Green Star Rating". Scoop. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
10. Mathewson, Nicole (12 July 2011). "HSBC tenants move back in". Stuff. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
11. "Christchurch: Inside the red zone". NZ Herald. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
12. "Structex | HSBC Tower | Commercial". www.structex.co.nz. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
13. "Steel Building Damage From The Christchurch Earthquake Series of 2010 and 2011: Technical Report by Charles Clifton, Michel Bruneau, Alistair Fussell, Roberto Leon and Greg MacRae, November 2011". canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
14. "HSBC Tower sold for $26m". Stuff. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
15. "Christchurch high-rise reopens". RNZ. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
16. Wright, Michael (13 June 2012). "Sutton plays long game one year on". Stuff. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
17. McDonald, Liz (21 September 2024). "Another owner takes on ex-Inland Revenue site". The Press. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
18. Hutching, Chris (7 November 2017). "HSBC closes in Christchurch, retrenches back to Wellington". Stuff. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
19. "Contact | Anthony Harper | Partners in Progress". www.ah.co.nz. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
20. "Savills New Zealand | Christchurch". www.savills.co.nz. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
21. "Ōtākaro Limited". New Zealand Government. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
22. "Contact us". JBWere. Retrieved 22 December 2024.