Page 16 of Section A of the Christchurch Press, published on Saturday 3 September 2011.
Page 5 of Section A of the Christchurch Press, published on Wednesday 31 August 2011.
Page 18 of an Our Toughest Day special feature in the Christchurch Press, published on Tuesday 24 May 2011.
Page 3 of Section A of the Christchurch Press, published on Friday 25 March 2011.
Page 1 of Section A of the Christchurch edition of the Christchurch Press, published on Thursday 1 September 2011.
Page 3 of Section A of the Christchurch Press, published on Monday 28 February 2011.
www.nicksplace.co.nz
Six months after the 4 September 2010 Mw 7.1 Darfield (Canterbury) earthquake, a Mw 6.2 Christchurch (Lyttelton) aftershock struck Christchurch on the 22 February 2011. This earthquake was centred approximately 10km south-east of the Christchurch CBD at a shallow depth of 5km, resulting in intense seismic shaking within the Christchurch central business district (CBD). Unlike the 4 Sept earthquake when limited-to-moderate damage was observed in engineered reinforced concrete (RC) buildings [35], in the 22 February event a high number of RC Buildings in the Christchurch CBD (16.2 % out of 833) were severely damaged. There were 182 fatalities, 135 of which were the unfortunate consequences of the complete collapse of two mid-rise RC buildings. This paper describes immediate observations of damage to RC buildings in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Some preliminary lessons are highlighted and discussed in light of the observed performance of the RC building stock. Damage statistics and typical damage patterns are presented for various configurations and lateral resisting systems. Data was collated predominantly from first-hand post-earthquake reconnaissance observations by the authors, complemented with detailed assessment of the structural drawings of critical buildings and the observed behaviour. Overall, the 22 February 2011 Mw 6.2 Christchurch earthquake was a particularly severe test for both modern seismically-designed and existing non-ductile RC buildings. The sequence of earthquakes since the 4 Sept 2010, particularly the 22 Feb event has confirmed old lessons and brought to life new critical ones, highlighting some urgent action required to remedy structural deficiencies in both existing and “modern” buildings. Given the major social and economic impact of the earthquakes to a country with strong seismic engineering tradition, no doubt some aspects of the seismic design will be improved based on the lessons from Christchurch. The bar needs to and can be raised, starting with a strong endorsement of new damage-resisting, whilst cost-efficient, technologies as well as the strict enforcement, including financial incentives, of active policies for the seismic retrofit of existing buildings at a national scale.
The former Lyttelton Council building being demolished.
A photograph of buildings on Lichfield Street.
A badly-damaged building on Worcester Street.
A badly-damaged building on Worcester Street.
A view of buildings on Oxford Terrace.
Wooden reinforcements on the Cranmer Courts building.
Wooden reinforcements on the Cranmer Courts building.
A partially demolished building on Gloucester Street.
A partially demolished building on Gloucester Street.
Cafe 101, reopened in the Psychology building.
A digger demolishing the Piko Wholefoods building.
The Gallery Apartments buildings on Gloucester Street.
The District Court Building on Durham Street.
Liquefaction silt beside buildings on Ferry Road.
Liquefaction silt beside buildings on Ferry Road.
Liquefaction silt beside buildings on Ferry Road.
Liquefaction silt beside buildings on Ferry Road.
A photograph of the Government Life building.
A damaged building inside the Arts Centre.
A digger demolishing the Piko Wholefoods building.
Workers reinforcing a brick building in Lyttelton.
A building being demolished on Ferry Road.