A building which housed a popular Christchurch café was the focus of the royal commission into the earthquakes today.
CCTV captured the moment the quake struck, sending bricks from the building's facade raining down onto the street below.
Chef Gregory Tobin, 26, was killed by falling masonry as he tried to escape the building.
Engineers told the hearing they hadn't noticed any substantial damage to the building after the Boxing Day quake and believe huge vertical accelerations were to blame for the building's demise.
3 News