Basilica exhibition nears end
The Sacred Heart Basilica remains closed to the public for now, but renewal work continues so the building can once again open in the coming months. But this weekend is the last opportunity to explore what work has been happening around the building, as the South Canterbury Museum’s exhibition A Timaru Landmark ends this weekend.
Strengthening work around the tower is largely complete, but major work has also been focused on strengthening the nave walls and transept gables. Essentially this involves stiffening and tying together parts of the external walls to improve their stability in earthquakes.
New steel-reinforced concrete beams are along the top of either side of the nave walls – the main part of the church where parishioners assemble. They have also been tied to the roof truss to the walls. Much of the work required contractors to work at height from outside the building (hence all the scaffolding) and access to the top of the wall was only possible by removing portions of the roof tiles. Thankfully this also meant the interior of the church could be left intact, even if it did require some temporary protection work to keep the building as watertight as possible.
The north and south transepts of the church also featured unreinforced brick gables (the triangular ends of the walls below the roof line). In an earthquake these pose a serious risk if the structure moved and allowed the bricks to collapse. As a result steel ties, connected to a steel channel beam along the adjacent walls, offers greater stability and a reduced risk.
While the church was closed for seismic strengthening work, there was also an opportunity to undertake other work to improve the building. New under-pew heating has been installed for parishioner comfort and several safety features have been upgraded. These include an upgrade to the church sound system, plus improved fire exits, new smoke detectors, and a new fire detection system with a direct connection to the local fire station. Additionally, options for remedying the leaking copper dome were developed and work is underway. The steel windows below the dome have also been refurbished and re-glazed.
Finally, while the scaffolding is in place, various other repairs have also taken place.