
Detail of the 'Ark of Hope' by Wongi Wilson in Sydenham Square, corner of Brougham and Colombo Streets.
Detail of the 'Ark of Hope' by Wongi Wilson in Sydenham Square, corner of Brougham and Colombo Streets.
Detail of the 'Ark of Hope' by Wongi Wilson in Sydenham Square, corner of Brougham and Colombo Streets.
Detail of workers who are deconstructing the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in the process of removing all the windows.
Detail of the sign on doors of the damaged building that housed The Bicycle Thief Coffee Bar and Pizzeria.
Detail of a damaged building in Christchurch Central. Bit of broken furniture, fabric and brick rubble can be seen.
A photograph of a detail of a beam removed from the house at 116 Centaurus Road.
A photograph of a detail of the TSB Bank Building on the corner of Colombo and Hereford Street.
A photograph of a detail of the TSB Bank Building on the corner of Colombo and Hereford Street.
A photograph of a detail of the TSB Bank Building on the corner of Colombo and Hereford Street.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the details above a window of the Fisher's Building.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the details above a window of the Fisher's Building.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a detail above a window of the Fisher's Building.
A photograph of a detail of 230 High Street. The Hotel Grand Chancellor can be seen in the background.
Detail of a stained-glass window in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the details above a window of the Fisher's Building.
Detail of a pile of rubble fallen from a building on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Streets.
Detail of the columns in the interior of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
Detail of one of the ceiling domes inside the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
Detail of one of the ceiling domes inside the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
Detail of one of the ceiling domes inside the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
Detail of the columns in the interior of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, seen before the earthquakes.
Existing New Zealand (NZ) building stock contains a significant number of structures designed prior to 1995 with non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Recent earthquakes and research show that columns with such details perform poorly when subjected to seismic demand, losing gravity load carrying capacity at drift levels lower than the expected one. Therefore, in order to have a better understanding of existing RC columns in NZ, the history of these elements is investigated in this paper. The evolution of RC column design guidelines in NZ standards since the 1970s is scrutinized. For this purpose, a number of RC columns from Christchurch buildings built prior to 1995 are assessed using the current code of practice.
A photograph of earthquake damage to a detail above the main entrance of the Cranmer Centre.
A photograph of a detail of the door in the main entrance of the Cranmer Centre.
A photograph of earthquake damage to a detail above the main entrance of the Cranmer Centre.
A photograph of earthquake damage to a detail above the main entrance of the Cranmer Centre.
Detail of the clock tower on the former railway station building on Moorhouse Avenue at the bottom of Madras Street.
Detail of some deconstruction work on the Crowne Plaza Hotel, close up with a digger on a pile of demolition rubble.
A property that appears to be abandoned. Detail of overgrown weeds and bricks behind the fence and the red rubbish bin.