Pallets

January 28, 2013 2:58 AM

What do you do with all those empty lots that are left after major earthquakes? Gap Filler fills them with temporary community structures like the Pallet Pavillion.

How is the Christchurch earthquake recovery going more generally? The government has been criticized for its failure to consider public input. Here are some articles focused on the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act's (CERA) Minister, Gerry Brownlee.

posted by aniola (14 comments total)

This looks really cool, I guess they must have quite a lot of space to use in this way. I just hope they have those pallet walls properly strapped down.
posted by atrazine at 3:12 AM on January 28 [1 favorite]

This is fantastic, and an idea for any town or city.
posted by quarsan at 4:05 AM on January 28

Pallet Town?
posted by Redfield at 4:14 AM on January 28 [2 favorites]

If there's one thing recent earthquake victims will love, it is towering piles of heavy objects put together by amateurs.
posted by DU at 4:17 AM on January 28 [10 favorites]

Sort of the definition of turning lemons into lemonade. Gap Filler and other Christchurch artistic/creative community organizations seem so vibrant and dynamic while staying human-scale and inclusive (ie: it seems like you don't have to be a cultural/arts insider or activist to contribute and it really seems like people young and old are participating and having fun with the various projects). I don't know whether the civic atmosphere there has always been so nurturing or whether the earthquakes engendered the spirit of cooperation and innovation, but I love the fact that people are coming together to create events, activities and ephemeral spaces for all that to happen. I love the temporary bowling alley, the bicycle-powered outdoor cinema, etc.
posted by taz at 4:57 AM on January 28 [1 favorite]

The earthquake risk is nothing compared to compared to the more mundane fire risk of constuction using pallets.
posted by srboisvert at 6:17 AM on January 28

If there's one thing recent earthquake victims will love, it is towering piles of heavy objects put together by amateurs.

The earthquake risk is nothing compared to compared to the more mundane fire risk of constuction using pallets.

Before anyone else decides to chime in with more LOLPALLETSALLFALLDOWNZ, consider reading the about page.
posted by zamboni at 6:47 AM on January 28 [3 favorites]

I looked at the about page and while it looks like it was constructed by people who knew what they are doing, I too wonder about fire safety (especially after the weekend's tragedy in Brazil). It looks open enough that people could easily get out if there was a fire, but I have seen bonfires made out of shipping pallets and they are an ideal fuel: old dry wood with just the right amount of space for air circulation.
posted by TedW at 7:23 AM on January 28 [1 favorite]

Aurecon, the company who provided the structural and fire engineers, blogged about the project.
posted by zamboni at 7:31 AM on January 28 [1 favorite]

Pallet Town? Hell no, it's Skid Row!
posted by sixpack at 7:45 AM on January 28

Reading that blog it appears they did take fire risk into account, but I am still curious as to what they did to decrease that risk.
posted by TedW at 8:22 AM on January 28

Used plastic CHEP pallets?
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 10:02 AM on January 28

Gap fillers is awesome - there's a fridge of books on a corner site near me, and there was a coin-operated dancefloor run out of a washing machine down the road a bit.

Also, Google Maps just updated with post-quake satellite/aerial imagery.

There's a lot of flat grey patches that used to be the central city...
posted by xiw at 12:37 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]

they must have quite a lot of space to use in this way

Yep. I guess I must be in the same neighbourhood as xiw (hi, I'm working above Pomeroys!). Essentially, 80% of what used to be the CBD is either demolition zone or giant carpark.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:23 PM on January 28