Today we do a quick comparison between how long it takes to do a build in New Zealand in 2020 compared with construction times nearly one century ago.
Work commenced on the site of the SkyCity Convention Centre in December 2015. It will be able to host around 4,000 people. The completion date is now estimated to be 2nd December, 2025, around 10 years after work began. By that time, physical conference meetings that involve long-haul travel are likely to be viewed as environmentally unfriendly and so moved increasingly onto virtual platforms like Zoom. Meanwhile, down south, Christchurch Cathedral was left in ruins after the earthquake back in February 2011. Nearly 10 years later, it still lies in ruins.
Now flick to the United States. Excavation of the site of the Empire State Building, located on Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets in Manhattan, New York, began on 22nd January 1930. It was officially opened for business on 1st May, 1931, just over one year later. The Empire State Building has a capacity of around 35,000 people, being 20,000 tenants and 15,000 visitors.