A consultant earthquake engineer says some modern Christchurch buildings hit by the earthquake have largely performed beyond expectations.
Richard Sharpe of Beca Carter Hollings and Ferners says some buildings were put under pressure above what they were designed to absorb.
He says some of the buildings that survived the quake intact probably shouldn't have.
"For example, I visited a modern building on Hereford Street this afternoon and there were small cracks but it has performed extremely well, for what was probably a much larger shake that it was designed to resist."
One of Christchurch's oldest department stores appears to have come through the earthquake without major structural damage.
The managing director of Ballantynes, which was established in 1854, Mary Devine, says all options are being considered to move its central-city operations elsewhere while the CBD recovery takes place.
She says an engineer will inspect the building on Monday but she believes the damage is mainly to fixtures and fittings rather than the structures.
