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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

New Zealand has a long tradition of using light timber frame for construction of its domestic dwellings. After the most recent earthquakes (e.g. Canterbury earthquakes sequence), wooden residential houses showed satisfactory life safety performance. However, poor performance was reported in terms of their seismic resilience. Although numerous innovative methods to mitigate damage have been introduced to the New Zealand community in order to improve wooden house performance, these retrofit options have not been readily taken up. The low number of retrofitted wooden-framed houses leads to questions about whether homeowners are aware of the necessity of seismic retrofitting their houses to achieve a satisfactory seismic performance. This study aims to explore different retrofit technologies that can be applied to wooden-framed houses in Wellington, taking into account the need of homeowners to understand the risk, likelihood and extent of damage expected after an event. A survey will be conducted in Wellington about perceptions of homeowners towards the expected performance of their wooden-framed houses. The survey questions were designed to gain an understanding of homeowners' levels of safety and awareness of possible damage after a seismic event. Afterwards, a structural review of a sample of the houses will be undertaken to identify common features and detail potential seismic concerns. The findings will break down barriers to making improvements in the performance of wooden-framed houses and lead to enhancements in the confidence of homeowners in the event of future seismic activity. This will result in increased understanding and contribute towards an accessible knowledge base, which will possibly increase significantly the use of these technologies and avoid unnecessary economic and social costs after a seismic event.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to a property in the Christchurch central city. Part of the roof of the property has collapsed, spilling material onto the balcony below. A sign in the foreground reads, "Wots your councillor doing for your water?".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. A brick chimney has visibly twisted and there are gaps between the bricks. The photographer comments, "Damaged chimney. We'll have to get this taken down tidily, but our roofer friends are a bit busy... (It was taken down on the morning of Day 2, just as well)".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of an earthquake-damaged house on Gloucester Street. The bottom storey of the house has shifted and is now on a noticeable lean. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the front of the building and a red sticker has been placed on one of the windows.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to Englefield Lodge on Fitzgerald Avenue. A pile of bricks lies in front of the house, windows are boarded up, and wooden bracing is propping up the walls. A spray-painted message on a wall reads "We will try to save this house." The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Englefield, Christchurch's oldest house, in Fitzgerald Ave".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A damaged house teetering on the edge of the cliff in Sumner. Below, shipping containers along the edge of Peacock's Gallop protect the road from further rockfall. The photographer comments, "About four meters of the rock face collapsed on June 13 undermining several houses along the cliff top".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. The foundation is all that remains of one room, and the exposed interior wall has been covered with builders' paper for protection. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Back door and the floor of the sunroom".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. The brick wall is badly cracked and twisted, and some bricks have fallen, exposing the lining paper below. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd. Bricks are skewed and pulled in several directions".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. The foundation is all that remains of one room, and the exposed interior wall has been covered with builders' paper for protection. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Temporary protection after the sunroom was demolished".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team pointing to an earthquake-damaged house in central Christchurch. A large section of the house has collapsed, the rubble spilling onto the driveway. Emergency tape has been draped across the driveway as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of an earthquake-damaged house. Wooden bracing has been placed in between the house and the fence, with wires connecting the top of the bracing to the peak of the roof. Emergency management personnel are in the driveway to the right. In the foreground a section of the brick fence at the front of the property has toppled.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. Bricks have fallen from the walls onto the driveway, and a large gap between the concrete foundation and the wooden framing shows how much the house has moved. The photographer comments, "The foundations and brick cladding moved, but the timber wall remained in position. The gap grew to over 400mm by the time the house was demolished.