A seven-hour concrete pour laid the foundations for the cardboard cathedral in Christchurch today.

A convoy of 45 trucks delivered 750 cubic metres of concrete to make the deep foundations for the temporary Anglican cathedral in Latimer Square.

The concrete was pumped into the foundations from 4am for the temporary cathedral, which is expected to open in February.

Holmes project engineer Jamie Macgregor said the foundations were so substantial because the ground was prone to liquefaction.

"There is a lot of steel in there. The ground around here is prone to liquefaction, so the concrete raft is 900 millimetres deep. It is quite substantial,'' he said.

"It is designed to normalise any ground deformation in the event of a quake.''

- © Fairfax NZ News

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