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Capital tackles earthquake issues
Several recommendations have been made following nal reports into 80 buildings assessed by Wellington City Council (WCC) after the Kaikoura earthquake last November.
FOLLOWING THE EARTHQUAKE and under temporary powers, WCC required owners of buildings with certain attributes to complete an engineering assessment on their property.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester said the inspections and recommendations were about making the city safer in the event of future earthquakes.
‘Making our city more resilient and keeping people safe is our top priority. It’s why we asked for extra powers to compel inspections, and it’s why we are releasing a series of recommendations today to help make our city safer in the future.
‘We were able to make a statement in February con rming that, based on what we received, we had no concerns around public safety with these buildings. Now we’re able to go a step further and share a summary of the reports as well as key recommendations which will enable building owners, engineers and government agencies to re ne current standards and make improvements.’
Demolition of 61 Molesworth Street following severe damage in the earthquake.
Di erent levels of damage
WCC Resilience Manager Mike Mendonca said the reports reveal a range of levels of damage su ered by buildings after the earthquake.
‘The results reinforce how important it was that these targeted inspections were
carried out. There was a spectrum of damage identi ed, and all buildings with signi cant issues are either closed for further assessments or repair and strengthening work is under way.’
Outcomes and actions
Major ndings and outcomes include that: ● building owners should get the recom-
mended work done
● the engineering sector is working
urgently on technical solutions to retro t, repair and strengthen buildings with precast oors
● the sector is also working on how to address seismic rating variability
● there seems to be a correlation with soil and ground conditions, and WCC is continuing to re ne its knowledge of ground conditions across the city
● the council will work with MBIE to ensure the ndings from the report inform post- earthquake assessment processes
● WCC is considering options as part of its annual plan process to improve the sensor networks across the city.
12 — August/September 2017 — Build 161
PHOTO – DEREK QUINN SNPA