Unrestrained unreinforced clay brick masonry (URM) parapets are found atop a large number of vintage URM buildings. Parapets are typically non-structural cantilevered wall elements that form a fire barrier and in most cases form decorative and ornamental features of vintage URM buildings. Parapets are considered to be one of the most vulnerable elements that are prone to out-of-plane collapse when subjected to earthquake induced shaking. An in-depth analysis of the damage database collected following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes was performed to obtain information about the distribution, characteristics and observed performance of both the as-built and retrofitted parapets in the Christchurch region. Results, statistical interpretation and implications are presented herein. http://www.aees.org.au/downloads/conference-papers/2015-2/
We measure the longer-term effect of a major earthquake on the local economy, using night-time light intensity measured from space, and investigate whether insurance claim payments for damaged residential property affected the local recovery process. We focus on the destructive Christchurch earthquake of 2011 as our case study. In this event more than 95% of residential housing units were covered by insurance, but insurance payments were staggered over 5 years, enabling us to identify their local impact. We find that night-time luminosity can capture the process of recovery and describe the recovery’s determinants. We also find that insurance payments contributed significantly to the process of economic recovery after the earthquake, but delayed payments were less affective and cash settlement of claims were more affective in contributing to local recovery than insurance-managed rebuilding.
The cartoon shows a terribly disappointed rugby fan standing in the centre of a devastated Christchurch holding up a 'RWC ticket' and bleating 'BUT...' Context - The decision that there will be no Rugby World Cup games in Christchurch because of the damage caused by the earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. Colour and black and white versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Owners of the Octagon hang models to decorate the structures holding up the tower of the building after earthquake damage. Chris Stead (left) from Theme Pro and stone mason Andy Carmichael from Cut'n'Carve Stone".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Owners of the Octagon hang models to decorate the structures holding up the tower of the building after earthquake damage. Chris Stead (left) from Theme Pro and stone mason Andy Carmichael from Cut'n'Carve Stone".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The church of St Michaels and All Angels is undamaged after the two earthquakes. The pipe organ suffered significant but reparable damage. This church is now the only operational church within the city centre".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Christchurch Chinese Methodist Church on Papanui Road. The wall of the gable has crumbled, the bricks spilling onto the lawn below. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Christchurch Chinese Methodist Church on Papanui Road. The gable wall has crumbled, the bricks and window frame falling onto the ground. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on Gloucester Street. Many of the windows have broken, and the glass litters the footpath in front. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the door of the Kosco Asian Supermarket.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cotterill family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. William and Simonetta Cotterill in their makeshift bedroom which used to the drawing room".
A photograph of signs under the rear section of the Forsyth Barr building. The signs reads, "Danger drop zone". In the background is rubble from an earthquake-damaged building . Steel bracing has been constructed around a concrete pillar to the right.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Jade Kirk, a director of Jade/Roberts Consulting Engineers Ltd, was attacked by the operator of a 20-ton digger while trying to protect the earthquake-damaged Trinity Church on the corner of Worcester and Manchester Streets".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to Churchills Pub on the corner of Colombo and Battersea Street. Large sections of the outer walls of the pub have crumbled and the bricks have spilled onto the footpath and road in front.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Brett Wells, retail operations director of the Rock Shop, behind the curtain that separates the back of the shop, which they can trade from, and the front (behind Brett) that only staff can enter, after earthquake damage".
A photograph of an excavator clearing rubble from several earthquake-damaged buildings on Manchester Street. In the foreground a member of an emergency management team is watching on. Several other emergency management personnel can also be seen in the distance.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to The Painted Room on Colombo Street. The ceiling of the building has collapsed into the store, smashing the front window. Wire fencing and police tape has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Asko Design building on Victoria Street. The top of the facade has crumpled onto the street and awning below. A broken gutter and hole in the roof are visible to the left.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a row of buildings on Colombo Street. The front of the buildings has collapsed, exposing the inside of both floors. The rubble from the collapsed walls has been cleared from the street in front.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Jade Kirk, a director of Jade/Roberts Consulting Engineers Ltd, was attacked by the operator of a 20-ton digger while trying to protect the earthquake-damaged Trinity Church on the corner of Worcester and Manchester Streets".
Knowing how to rapidly rebuild disaster-damaged infrastructure, while deciding appropriate recovery strategies and catering for future investment is a matter of core interest to government decision makers, utility providers, and business sectors. The purpose of this research is to explore the effects of decisions and outcomes for physical reconstruction on the overall recovery process of horizontal infrastructure in New Zealand using the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes as cases. A mixed approach including a systematic review, questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews is used to capture perspectives of those involved in reconstruction process and gain insights into the effect of critical elements on infrastructure downtime. Findings from this research will contribute towards advancements of a systems dynamics model considering critical decision-making variables across phases of the reconstruction process to assess how these variables affect the rebuild process and the corresponding downtime. This project will improve the ability to explore alternative resilience improvement pathways and test the efficacy of alternative means for facilitating a faster and better reconstruction process.
A black and white photograph of a pile of rubble in front of a window. In the background behind the window a gap in the building can be seen. The photographer comments, "The result of the Christchurch earthquakes".
Fallen headstone due to September 4th earthquake: Mary Ann DONALDSON Died 20 April 1908 aged 68 years Occupation: domestic of Division Street Born: England [information from cemetery online database and listed as in same plot as below] In loving remembrance of James DONALDSON who departd this life June 10th 1904 aged 77 years "Thou shalt come t...
Unreinforced masonry (URM) cavity-wall construction is a form of masonry where two leaves of clay brick masonry are separated by a continuous air cavity and are interconnected using some form of tie system. A brief historical introduction is followed by details of a survey undertaken to determine the prevalence of URM cavity-wall buildings in New Zealand. Following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes it was observed that URM cavity-walls generally suffered irreparable damage due to a lack of effective wall restraint and deficient cavity-tie connections, combined with weak mortar strength. It was found that the original cavity-ties were typically corroded due to moisture ingress, resulting in decreased lateral loadbearing capacity of the cavity-walls. Using photographic data pertaining to Christchurch URM buildings that were obtained during post-earthquake reconnaissance, 252 cavity-walls were identified and utilised to study typical construction details and seismic performance. The majority (72%, 182) of the observed damage to URM cavity-wall construction was a result of out-of-plane type wall failures. Three types of out-of-plane wall failure were recognised: (1) overturning response, (2) one-way bending, and (3) two-way bending. In-plane damage was less widely observed (28%) and commonly included diagonal shear cracking through mortar bed joints or bricks. The collected data was used to develop an overview of the most commonly-encountered construction details and to identify typical deficiencies in earthquake response that can be addressed via the selection and implementation of appropriate mitigation interventions. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/structures
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Base Packpackers building behind the former Canterbury Times building on Gloucester Street. The corner of Base Backpackers has collapsed, exposing a bunkroom inside. Scaffolding has been constructed up the side of the building.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to South of the Border, Denis Moore the Auto Electrician and Himalayas Indian restaurant on Colombo Street. Wire fencing, road cones and Civil Defence tape have been placed around the buildings as a cordon.
A photograph of emergency management personnel standing in a car park behind the Forsyth Barr building. In the background rubble from an earthquake-damaged building has been stacked in a pile. The rubble is mostly made up of concrete staircases.
A photograph of emergency management personnel standing in a car park behind the Forsyth Barr building. In the background rubble from an earthquake-damaged building has been stacked in a pile. The rubble is mostly made up of concrete staircases.
A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team and the Red Cross, standing on the corner of Lichfield and High Streets. In the background large piles of rubble from earthquake-damaged buildings line the street.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a stairwell in the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the corner of Kilmore and Durham Streets. Large sections of the concrete wall behind the stair rail have broken away to reveal the steel reinforcement underneath.
73 months after the earthquake that damaged it, the jetty at South New Brighton Domain is still not repaired. Seven years ago it was straight and level. Dull, flat and orrible (horrible) light meant this image was destined to become monochrome!