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Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Crack'd for Christchurch's partially-completed mosaic on their armchair.Crack'd for Christchurch comments, "Slow progress. Sometimes we thought we'd never get her finished. We were all battling our own earthquake consequences: losing homes and jobs, battling with insurers, illnesses and repairs. It was a long winter. But the conversation, food, laughter, and company were wonderful. An unforgettable experience."

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

A significant portion of economic loss from the Canterbury Earthquake sequence in 2010-2011 was attributed to losses to residential buildings. These accounted for approximately $12B of a total $40B economic losses (Horspool, 2016). While a significant amount of research effort has since been aimed at research in the commercial sector, little has been done to reduce the vulnerability of the residential building stock.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is a category 1 listed heritage building constructed largely of unreinforced stone masonry, and was significantly damaged in the recent Canterbury earthquakes. The building experienced ground shaking in excess of its capacity leading to block failures and partial collapse of parts of the building, which left the building standing but still posing a significant hazard. In this paper we discuss the approach to securing the building, and the interaction of the structural, heritage and safety demands involved in a dynamic seismic risk environment. We briefly cover the types of failures observed and the behaviour of the structure, and investigate the performance of both strengthened and un-strengthened parts of the building. Seismic strengthening options are investigated at a conceptual level. We draw conclusions as to how the building performed in the earthquakes, comment on the effectiveness of the strengthening and securing work and discuss the potential seismic strengthening methods.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Research following the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes investigated the minimum vertical reinforcement required in RC walls to generate well distributed cracking in the plastic hinge region. However, the influence of the loading sequence and rate has not been fully addressed. The new minimum vertical reinforcement limits in NZS 3101:2006 (Amendment 3) include consideration of the material strengths under dynamic load rates, but these provisions have not been validated at a member or system level. A series of tests were conducted on RC prisms to investigate the effect of loading rate and sequence on the local behaviour of RC members. Fifteen axially loaded RC prisms with the designs representing the end region of RC walls were tested under various loading rates to cover the range of pseudo-static and earthquake loading scenarios. These tests will provide substantial data for understanding the local behaviour of RC members, including hysteretic load-deformation behaviour, crack patterns, failure mode, steel strain, strain rate and ductility. Recommendations will be made regarding the effect of loading rate and reinforcement content on the cracking behaviour and ductility of RC members.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by the New Zealand Defence Force, "The NZ Defence Force helps out after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Army and Air Force Medics as well as Hercules crew and Air Security transfer elderly patients from NZDF ambulances to the Air Force's C-130 Hercules for transport to other parts of NZ. LAC Brendon Stads (left) and SGT Simon Blakeway transfer an elderly patient".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by the New Zealand Defence Force, "The NZ Defence Force helps out after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Army and Air Force Medics as well as Hercules crew and Air Security transfer elderly patients from NZDF ambulances to the Air Force's C-130 Hercules for transport to other parts of NZ. LAC Janine Potter (left) and SGT Sarah Miller comfort an elderly patient".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by the New Zealand Defence Force, "The NZ Defence Force helps out after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Army and Air Force Medics as well as Hercules crew and Air Security transfer elderly patients from NZDF ambulances to the Air Force's C-130 Hercules for transport to other parts of NZ. SGT Sarah Miller and LAC Janine Potter prepare an elderly patient for transfer".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by the New Zealand Defence Force, "The NZ Defence Force helps out after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Army and Air Force Medics as well as Hercules crew and Air Security transfer elderly patients from NZDF ambulances to the Air Force's C-130 Hercules for transport to other parts of NZ. WO1 Tim Crow (left) prepares to lift a patient onto the Hercules".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Celia Wade-Brown, Mayor of Wellington, speaking at a graduation ceremony for more than 40 new civil defence volunteers in the Wellington Town Hall. Members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office team were presented certificates of appreciation during this event. The certificates were presented to the members to honour their involvement in the emergency response to the 22 February 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Daniel (back-left), Kristie (back-right), Clive (front-left) and Karen Lingley Richardson (front-right) in front of their former Kaiapoi residence. The photograph was taken by Cosmo Kentish-Barnes for Still Here, an artistic project supported by All Right?. Kentish-Barnes produced a series of photographs of exiled residents, accompanied with a first-person account of their life since the earthquakes.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Country Theme store on the corner of Manchester and St Asaph Streets. Sections of the second storey walls have crumbled, and the bricks have fallen onto the footpath below. Wire fences have been placed around the building as a cordon. Red stickers on the front door and the wire fence indicate that the building is not safe to enter.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Iconic Bar and the former Christchurch City Council offices on Manchester Street. The outer walls of the Council offices and the top storey of Iconic have collapsed, exposing the insides of the buildings. The bricks and other rubble have been cleared from the footpath in front. USAR codes have been spray-painted next to the entrance of Iconic.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Iconic bar on the corner of Manchester and Gloucester Streets. Large sections of the outer walls have collapsed, the bricks and masonry spilling onto the footpath below, crushing several cars. USAR codes have been spray-painted near the door and a red sticker has been taped above. The red sticker indicates that the building is unsafe to enter.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake-damaged Our City O-Tautahi Building on the corner of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace. Steel bracing has been placed against the building to secure the brick walls. The bracing is supported by large concrete blocks. Wire fences have also been placed around the bottom of the building as a cordon. Scaffolding has been erected around the tower to the right.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr addressing a local musician inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The audience is made up of students who have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Carlton Hotel on the corner of Papanui Road and Bealey Avenue. The wall of the top storey of the building has crumbled, and bricks have fallen onto the footpath. Wire fencing, road cones, and cordon tape have been placed around the building as a cordon. Scaffolding and steel bracing can be seen against the front of the building.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Abstract This study provides a simplified methodology for pre-event data collection to support a faster and more accurate seismic loss estimation. Existing pre-event data collection frameworks are reviewed. Data gathered after the Canterbury earthquake sequences are analysed to evaluate the relative importance of different sources of building damage. Conclusions drawns are used to explore new approaches to conduct pre-event building assessment.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a presentation by Associate Professor John Vargo during the fifth plenary of the 2016 People in Disasters Conference. Vargo is a senior researcher and co-leader of the Resilient Organisations Research Programme at the University of Canterbury. The presentation is titled, "Organisational Resilience is more than just Business Continuity".The abstract for this presentation reads as follows: Business Continuity Management is well-established process in many larger organisations and a key element in their emergency planning. Research carried out by resilient organisations follow the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes show that most small organisations did not have a business continuity plan (BCP), yet many of these organisations did survive the massive disruptions following the earthquakes. They were resilient to these catastrophic events, but in the absence of a BCP. This research also found that many of the organisations with BCP's, struggled to use them effectively when facing real events that did not align with the BCP. Although the BCPs did a good job of preparing organisations to deal with technology and operational disruptions, there was virtually no coverage for the continuity of people. Issues surrounding staff welfare and engagement were amongst the most crucial issues faced by Canterbury organisations, yet impacts of societal and personal disruption did not feature in BCPs. Resilience is a systematic way of looking at how an organization can survive a crisis and thrive in an uncertain world. Business continuity is an important aspect for surviving the crisis, but it is only part of the bigger picture addressed by organisational resilience. This presentation will show how organizational experiences in the Canterbury earthquakes support the need to move to a 'Business Continuity' for the '21st Century', one that incorporates more aspects of resilience, especially the 'people' areas of leadership, culture, staff welfare, and engagement.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

New Zealand’s stock of unreinforced masonry (URM) bearing wall buildings was principally constructed between 1880 and 1935, using fired clay bricks and lime or cement mortar. These buildings are particularly vulnerable to horizontal loadings such as those induced by seismic accelerations, due to a lack of tensile force-resisting elements in their construction. The poor seismic performance of URM buildings was recently demonstrated in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, where a large number of URM buildings suffered irreparable damage and resulted in a significant number of fatalities and casualties. One of the predominant failure modes that occurs in URM buildings is diagonal shear cracking of masonry piers. This diagonal cracking is caused by earthquake loading orientated parallel to the wall surface and typically generates an “X” shaped crack pattern due to the reversed cyclic nature of earthquake accelerations. Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a class of fiber reinforced cement composite that exhibits a strain-hardening characteristic when loaded in tension. The tensile characteristics of ECC make it an ideal material for seismic strengthening of clay brick unreinforced masonry walls. Testing was conducted on 25 clay brick URM wallettes to investigate the increase in shear strength for a range of ECC thicknesses applied to the masonry wallettes as externally bonded shotcrete reinforcement. The results indicated that there is a diminishing return between thickness of the applied ECC overlay and the shear strength increase obtained. It was also shown that, the effectiveness of the externally bonded reinforcement remained constant for one and two leaf wallettes, but decreased rapidly for wall thicknesses greater than two leafs. The average pseudo-ductility of the strengthened wallettes was equal to 220% of that of the as-built wallettes, demonstrating that ECC shotcrete is effective at enhancing both the in-plane strength and the pseudo-ductility of URM wallettes. AM - Accepted Manuscript

Research Papers, Lincoln University

During the 21st century, New Zealand has experienced increasing public concern over the quality of the design and appearance of new developments, and their effects on the urban environment. In response to this, a number of local authorities developed a range of tools to address this issue, including urban design panels to review proposals and provide independent advice. Following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, the commitment to achieve high quality urban design within Christchurch was given further importance, with the city facing the unprecedented challenge of rebuilding a ‘vibrant and successful city’. The rebuild and regeneration reinforced the need for independent design review, putting more focus and emphasis on the role and use of the urban design panel; first through collaboratively assisting applicants in achieving a better design outcome for their development by providing an independent set of eyes on their design; and secondly in assisting Council officers in forming their recommendations on resource consent decisions. However, there is a perception that urban design and the role of the urban design panel is not fully understood, with some stakeholders arguing that Council’s urban design requirements are adding cost and complexity to their developments. The purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding on the role of the Christchurch urban design panel post-earthquake in the central city; its direct and indirect influence on the built environment; and the deficiencies in the broader planning framework and institutional settings that it might be addressing. Ultimately, the perceived role of the Panel is understood, and there is agreement that urban design is having a positive influence on the built environment, albeit viewed differently amongst the varying groups involved. What has become clear throughout this research is that the perceived tension between the development community and urban design well and truly exists, with the urban design panel contributing towards this. This tension is exacerbated further through the cost of urban design to developers, and the drive for financial return from their investments. The panel, albeit promoting a positive experience, is simply a ‘tick box’ exercise for some, and as the research suggests, groups or professional are determining themselves what constitutes good urban design, based on their attitude, the context in which they sit and the financial constraints to incorporate good design elements. It is perhaps a bleak time for urban design, and more about building homes.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the north side of the ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square. The front of the building has been propped up with steel bracing but further earthquakes have caused more damage, leaving a gap between the bracing and the wall. The tower has been partially demolished, but the lower section is still visible. Wire fencing has been placed around the entire building. In the background, a crane is rising high above the square.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the north side of the ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square. The front of the building has been propped up with steel bracing but further earthquakes have caused more damage, leaving a gap between the bracing and the wall. The tower has been partially demolished, but the lower section is still visible. Wire fencing has been placed around the entire building. In the background, a crane is rising high above the square.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The northern side of the Christ Church Cathedral with the cafe and store in the foreground. Shipping containers have been placed around the eastern side of the Cathedral to protect the road from falling debris. Wire fencing has also been placed around the building as a cordon. To the right, the damaged and party deconstructed tower can be seen with the missing spire which fell during the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr conferring with former Chancellor Rex Williams, inside the UCSA's "Big Top" tent. The tent was erected in the UCSA car park to provide support for students in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Around them students have gathered to watch a local musician play. The student have spent the day clearing liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the rubble of the Observatory tower in the South Quad of the Christchurch Arts Centre. The tower collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. A digger was used to clear the rubble away from the building. Scaffolding constructed around the tower has also collapsed and is amongst the rubble. In the background is a shipping container. A red sticker has been placed on the door to the Physics Building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on the corner of Hereford and Madras Street. Sections of the façade have crumbled, bricks spilling onto the road in front. Wire fencing has been used to block off half of Madras Street. In the background, emergency management personnel are working through the rubble of the CTV building site. A digger and a crane are parked on the site.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An image commemorating the 22 February earthquake, which reads, "Three years on... It's all right to feel proud of how we've coped." The image was created for Facebook users from Canterbury to use as a Facebook cover photo. All Right? posted the image on their Facebook page on 7 February 2014 at 9:19am and used the image as a cover photo on 10 February 2014 and 20 February 2014.