Between September 4, 2010 and December 23, 2011, a series of earthquakes struck the South Island of New Zealand including the city of Christchurch producing heavy damage. During the strongest shaking, the unreinforced masonry (URM) building stock in Christchurch was subjected to seismic loading equal to approximately 150-200% of code values. Post-earthquake reconnaissance suggested numerous failures of adhesive anchors used for retrofit connection of roof and floor diaphragms to masonry walls. A team of researchers from the Universities of Auckland (NZ) and Minnesota (USA) conducted a field investigation on the performance of new adhesive anchors installed in existing masonry walls. Variables included adhesive type, anchor diameter, embedment length, anchor inclination, and masonry quality. Buildings were selected that had been slated for demolition but which featured exterior walls that had not been damaged. A summary of the deformation response measured during the field tests are presented. AM - Accepted Manuscript
Many large-scale earthquakes all over the world have highlighted the impact of soil liquefaction to the built environment, but the scale of liquefaction-induced damage experienced in Christchurch and surrounding areas following the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence (CES) was unparalleled, especially in terms of impact to an urban area. The short time interval between the large earthquakes presented a very rare occasion to examine liquefaction mechanism in natural deposits. The re-liquefaction experienced by the city highlighted the high liquefaction susceptibility of soil deposits in Christchurch, and presented a very challenging problem not only to the local residents but to the geotechnical engineering profession. This paper summarises the lessons learned from CES, and the impacts of the observations made to the current practice of liquefaction assessment and mitigation.
A photograph of a tower of the Arts Centre taken from Rolleston Avenue near the Botanic Gardens. A wooden structure has been wrapped around the tower and secured with tie-downs in order to help reduce damage by further aftershocks.
The damaged Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue. The brickwork in the gables of the building has crumbled onto the footpath below, exposing the wooden structure beneath and the inside of the church.
The badly-damaged Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The brickwork in the gables has crumbled, exposing the wooden structure underneath. Spray-painted USAR codes can be seen on the brick wall.
The badly-damaged Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The brickwork in the gables has crumbled, exposing the wooden structure underneath. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
Damage to the north-west corner of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The upper part of the corner structure has collapsed. A statue of the Virgin Mary can be seen in a window. The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes St".
The badly-damaged Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The brickwork in the gables has crumbled, exposing the wooden structure underneath. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A PDF copy of The Star newspaper, published on Friday 10 February 2012.
Aftermath of September 4th Earthquake in Canterbury. Shops on Colombo Street in Christchurch. The initial 7.1 quake has been followed by around 1590 aftershocks recorded to date - causing further damage to already weakened structures.
A photograph of a temporary structure titled ING being installed for CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. ING was created by students from Unitec.
A photograph of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers on Durham Street. The building has been cordoned off with wire fencing and the roof covered by plastic sheeting. Much of the masonry has been removed and a wooden structure constructed inside. A crane can be seen behind.
A photograph of the Arts Centre taken from Rolleston Avenue near the Botanic Gardens. The building has been cordoned off by wire fencing and a wooden structure has been secured to the tower with tie-downs to help reduce damage from further aftershocks.
A photograph of the main structure of a large-scale puppet on a flatbed truck. The puppet is titled The Knight, and was created by Free Theatre Christchurch for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A PDF copy of The Star newspaper, published on Friday 13 July 2012.
A photograph of the Durham Street Methodist Church on Durham Street. The church has almost completely collapsed and only a small section of the structure is still standing. Masonry and other rubble has spilled onto the footpath and street in front.
Buildings subject to earthquake shaking will tend to move not only horizontally but also rotate in plan. In-plan rotation is known as “building torsion” and it may occur for a variety of reasons, including stiffness and strength eccentricity and/or torsional effects from ground motions. Methods to consider torsion in structural design standards generally involve analysis of the structure in its elastic state. This is despite the fact that the structural elements can yield, thereby significantly altering the building response and the structural element demands. If demands become too large, the structure may collapse. While a number of studies have been conducted into the behavior of structures considering inelastic building torsion, there appears to be no consensus that one method is better than another and as a result, provisions within current design standards have not adopted recent proposals in the literature. However, the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission recently made the recommendation that provisions to account for inelastic torsional response of buildings be introduced within New Zealand building standards. Consequently, this study examines how and to what extent the torsional response due to system eccentricity may affect the seismic performance of a building and considers what a simple design method should account for. It is concluded that new methods should be simple, be applicable to both the elastic and inelastic range of response, consider bidirectional excitation and include guidance for multi-story systems.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Christchurch Chinese Methodist Church on Papanui Road. The bricks in the gable have crumbled, exposing the wooden structure underneath and crushing a van below. Police tape has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of temporary structures, created from scaffolding for CityUps. CityUps was a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. It was created by architecture students in collaboration with local businesses, artists, performers and innovators.
A photograph of a temporary structure titled Synthesis, which was created by students from CPIT, in partnership with Dance Hall and Soda Bar. Synthesis was part of CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014.
A photograph of a temporary structure, created from scaffolding for CityUps. CityUps was a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. It was created by architecture students in collaboration with local businesses, artists, performers and innovators.
A photograph of a temporary structure, created from scaffolding for CityUps. CityUps was a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. It was created by architecture students in collaboration with local businesses, artists, performers and innovators.
A photograph of the main structure of a large-scale puppet being lifted off a flatbed truck on Cashel Street. The puppet is titled The Knight, and was created by Free Theatre Christchurch for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013.
Damage to the front of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The upper part of the corner structures have collapsed, and the cross on the roof is on a lean. A statue of the Virgin Mary can be seen in a window. The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes St".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on Armagh Street. The walls of the building have crumbled and the bricks have spilt onto the footpath, exposing the wooden structure beneath. Police tape and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of a temporary structure, created from scaffolding for CityUps. CityUps was a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014. It was created by architecture students in collaboration with local businesses, artists, performers and innovators.
A photograph of the main structure of a large-scale puppet being lifted off a flatbed truck on Cashel Street. The puppet is titled The Knight, and was created by Free Theatre Christchurch for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A photograph of a temporary, inflatable structure titled Upload, which was created by students from the University of Auckland, in partnership with Chirney Coffee. Upload was part of CityUps - a 'city of the future for one night only', and the main event of FESTA 2014.
A photograph of the main structure of a large-scale puppet titled The Knight. The puppet is in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A photograph of the main structure of a large-scale puppet titled The Knight. The puppet is in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013.