The CTV Building was designed and constructed in about 1986 . Christchurch City Council gave building consent in September 1986 . Building codes for earthquake design changed frequently in New Zealand following the 1931 Hawke 's Bay earthquake ( in 1935 , 1965 , 1976 , 1984 and 1992 ) . A significant change in design philosophy was the change from non-ductile design of a reinforced concrete structure to a ductile approach , where it is expected that building joints yield in design earthquake events , which might make a structure uninhabitable but without it collapsing . A new reinforced concrete standard emphasising ductility came into effect in New Zealand in 1982 . Stefano Pampanin , an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury who teaches in structural and seismic design , described the non-ductile philosophy as " an obsolete design based on the levels of knowledge and code provisions that existed before the mid-1980s " . The structural design engineer was Alan Reay Consultants ( named after the company 's owner ) and the architect was Alun Wilke Associates Architects , both of which are firms based in Christchurch
1931 Hawke 's Bay earthquake
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
CTV Building