The affects of earthquakes and fires on the construction and development of housing in Wellington, 1840 to 1900

Abstract

The topic for this research report was selected because of my interest in Wellington's history and its rather unique characteristics, namely the high earthquake risk and rugged topography. I chose housing as the medium for which to discover how these characteristics shaped the Wellington of today. After initial readings into the impact of earthquakes, I soon became aware of the apparent dilemma the settlers were faced with in designing and constructing houses to best withstand earthquakes while also minimizing damage from fires. It is obvious today, and soon became obvious in the 1840's, that the flexible construction required by one was at risk from the other. The problem was compounded later when a rapid increase in housing occurred without the necessary increase in suitable land. The result, a clustering of flammable structures. So the report is based around the affects of both of these, what could be described as, disasters. I am well aware that there are many other influences such as climate, topography and availability of materials, and that their influence on the construction and design of housing is all interrelated, but as my time is very limited, it was decided to focus attention on just two of the influences. The period of 1840 to 1900 was chosen because it was the first years of the city, the time of learning from the new environment and imposing on it a life-style to initially survive and later prosper. In these sixty years the settlement suffered from major earthquakes and fires, became the seat of central government, suffered various booms and busts in its economy, and developed into an important port and metropolitan centre.