The CTV building suffered only minor "visual" damage after the September 4, 2010 earthquake, according to a quantity surveyor who estimated it could be fixed with $290,000 of repairs.
Leonard Pagan concluded that the six-storey building "didn't look that bad", telling the royal commission hearing today that he had "certainly seen far worse" in the Christchurch city centre after the magnitude-7.1 quake.
He spent three to four hours walking through the building with manager John Drew and David Coatsworth, a structural engineer from local firm CPG, on September 29.
He noted hairline cracks "of no significance" and plasterboard damage mainly on the western walls, as well as some broken glass panes on the Madras St frontage.
"I had certainly seen far worse in the CBD by this point," Mr Pagan said.
Mr Coatsworth, due to give evidence at the hearing tomorrow, (Wednesday) mentioned that he would like to conduct a more detailed examination, which Mr Pagan thought might have been in reference to the southern shear wall.
Mr Pagan, of Rawlinsons Ltd, produced a report for Mr Drew which estimated the cost of repairs would be $290,000, excluding GST. He told the hearing that he expected to receive a copy of Mr Coatsworth's structural engineer's report, but had not received one by the time it collapsed in the February 22, 2011 quake, killing 115 people.
The hearing yesterday heard from building manager Mr Drew, who thought the concrete office block "felt strong" after the seismic jolts of September 4 and Boxing Day 2010, contradicting earlier evidence.
"I had complete faith in the structural integrity of the building. I never for a minute thought the building might have been at risk of collapse," he said.
The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission, which is trying to establish what happened to the Christchurch building before it collapsed, will also hear from Christchurch City Council environmental policy and approvals manager Steve McCarthy today.
