A photograph of members of the New Zealand Police using a rescue dog to inspect an earthquake-damaged house in Christchurch. The front and side of the house has collapsed, the bricks and other rubble spilling onto the garden, exposing the rooms inside.
A brick house on Centaurus Road with damage to the top left window and "Danger Keep Out" tape around the edge. A yellow sign on the front window indicates that the building should only be entered for "Restricted Use". This means it has faired better than the brick house next door which is red-stickered.
There are hopes an earthquake simulation in Porirua might result in homes being better prepared for a big shake. Houses on Christchurch's Port Hills suffered more damage than houses in other areas during the Canterbury Earthquakes - even though the ground shaking was roughly the same. Now the Earthquake Commission is on a mission to find out why that was - and prevent the same level of damage in a future quake. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church and video journalist Dom Thomas start their report up on a hilly farm above Wellington.
A building on St Asaph Street has been demolished, exposing the interior structure of the adjoining building. The photographer comments, "The building that this one was part of has been demolished and the join looks very much like the exterior walls of an Anglo-Saxon house. It has been exposed due to the demolition of damaged buildings after the Christchurch earthquake".
A red sticker on the window of a damaged house. The sticker indicates that the building is unsafe to enter.
A damaged and abandoned house at 10 Seabreeze Close in Bexley. Weeds are growing through the cracks in the ground.
An earthquake-damaged house on Acland Avenue in Avonside. Its chimneys have collapsed and have been weather proofed with tarpaulins. The overgrown garden suggests the house has been unoccupied since the 4 September 2010 earthquake.
A Civil Defence staff member completing a Level 1 Rapid Assessment inspection form for a damaged house. Some of the brickwork has collapsed from the outer wall of the house and the awnings over the windows have collapsed.
Damage to a house in Richmond. Part of a concrete patio has slumped, leaving large cracks, and a gap has opened up between the house and the patio. The photographer comments, "The concrete patio is broken into big slabs".
A photograph of Pasifika House at the University of Canterbury. The house has a damaged chimney. A sign on the door reads, "The University is on emergency lock down. This includes the fale. Please do not enter.
A photograph of Pasifika House at the University of Canterbury. The house has a damaged chimney. A sign on the door reads, "The University is on emergency lock down. This includes the fale. Please do not enter.
A photograph of Pasifika House at the University of Canterbury. The house has a damaged chimney. A sign on the door reads, "The University is on emergency lock down. This includes the fale. Please do not enter.
A damaged driveway bridge over a stream has visibly moved, scraping up some of the driveway. The photographer comments, "Our neighbour Pam Shadbolt's house, immediately behind our house, on the bank of Dudley Creek. The bridge has broken free from its foundations".
A man takes a photograph inside a damaged house in Richmond. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Photographing the dining room, note the cracked wall linings. (My brother Ross from Invercargill was visiting, he's in several of these)".
The kitchen of a damaged house in Richmond. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Kitchen bench and tiles are relatively straight, The range hood has a lean because the roof moved, pulling the exhaust vent with it".
A man takes a photograph inside a damaged house in Richmond. The photographer comments, "Revisiting our abandoned house. Cracks in the north side of the kitchen. (My brother Ross from Invercargill was visiting, he's in several of these)".
The Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace, which housed the Retour Restaurant. Severe damage to the pillars can be seen.
The Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace, which housed the Retour Restaurant. Severe damage to the pillars can be seen.
The Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace, which housed the Retour Restaurant. Severe damage to the pillars can be seen.
A photograph of the interior of a damaged house. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
A photograph of the interior of a damaged house. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Steve Simpson and Janice Hartzer from the EQC inspect a house for earthquake damage at Fairview".
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged chimney on a house in Christchurch. The bricks have crumbled to reveal the flue.
The Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace, which housed the Retour Restaurant. Severe damage to the pillars can be seen.
The Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010-2011, in particular the 4th September 2010 Darfield earthquake and the 22nd February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, produced severe and widespread liquefaction in Christchurch and surrounding areas. The scale of the liquefaction was unprecedented, and caused extensive damage to a variety of man-made structures, including residential houses. Around 20,000 residential houses suffered serious damage as a direct result of the effects of liquefaction, and this resulted in approximately 7000 houses in the worst-hit areas being abandoned. Despite the good performance of light timber-framed houses under the inertial loads of the earthquake, these structures could not withstand the large loads and deformations associated with liquefaction, resulting in significant damage. The key structural component of houses subjected to liquefaction effects was found to be their foundations, as these are in direct contact with the ground. The performance of house foundations directly influenced the performance of the structure as a whole. Because of this, and due to the lack of research in this area, it was decided to investigate the performance of houses and in particular their foundations when subjected to the effects of liquefaction. The data from the inspections of approximately 500 houses conducted by a University of Canterbury summer research team following the 4th September 2010 earthquake in the worst-hit areas of Christchurch were analysed to determine the general performance of residential houses when subjected to high liquefaction loads. This was followed by the detailed inspection of around 170 houses with four different foundation types common to Christchurch and New Zealand: Concrete perimeter with short piers constructed to NZS3604, concrete slab-on-grade also to NZS3604, RibRaft slabs designed by Firth Industries and driven pile foundations. With a focus on foundations, floor levels and slopes were measured, and the damage to all areas of the house and property were recorded. Seven invasive inspections were also conducted on houses being demolished, to examine in more detail the deformation modes and the causes of damage in severely affected houses. The simplified modelling of concrete perimeter sections subjected to a variety of liquefaction-related scenarios was also performed, to examine the comparative performance of foundations built in different periods, and the loads generated under various bearing loss and lateral spreading cases. It was found that the level of foundation damage is directly related to the level of liquefaction experienced, and that foundation damage and liquefaction severity in turn influence the performance of the superstructure. Concrete perimeter foundations were found to have performed most poorly, suffering high local floor slopes and being likely to require foundation repairs even when liquefaction was low enough that no surface ejecta was seen. This was due to their weak, flexible foundation structure, which cannot withstand liquefaction loads without deforming. The vulnerability of concrete perimeter foundations was confirmed through modelling. Slab-on-grade foundations performed better, and were unlikely to require repairs at low levels of liquefaction. Ribraft and piled foundations performed the best, with repairs unlikely up to moderate levels of liquefaction. However, all foundation types were susceptible to significant damage at higher levels of liquefaction, with maximum differential settlements of 474mm, 202mm, 182mm and 250mm found for concrete perimeter, slab-on-grade, ribraft and piled foundations respectively when subjected to significant lateral spreading, the most severe loading scenario caused by liquefaction. It was found through the analysis of the data that the type of exterior wall cladding, either heavy or light, and the number of storeys, did not affect the performance of foundations. This was also shown through modelling for concrete perimeter foundations, and is due to the increased foundation strengths provided for heavily cladded and two-storey houses. Heavy roof claddings were found to increase the demands on foundations, worsening their performance. Pre-1930 concrete perimeter foundations were also found to be very vulnerable to damage under liquefaction loads, due to their weak and brittle construction.
A damaged property on Avonside Drive. Cracks can be seen running through the lawn. A woman is standing on a slab of concrete that has been raised by the earthquake.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the porch of Robin Duff's house at 386 Oxford Terrace. The top half of the far wall has broken loose and is hanging at an angle.
Detail of damage to a house in Richmond. A double-brick wall has collapsed, and a gap is visible between the house and its foundation. The photographer comments, "These photos show our old house in River Rd and recovery work around Richmond and St Albans. The house and the concrete patio are now 15cm apart. The house took half the dining room's remaining bricks with it as it jumped off the foundations. It gives a good visual indication of the displacement".
A house which has sunk on one side. Damage to the roof and garage can be seen. The property has been taped off.
The land and houses close to the Avon River have been badly damaged. Many road and footpaths are covered in silt from liquefaction.