A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing in front of an earthquake-damaged building in central Christchurch.
A photograph looking north down Colombo from the intersection of Gloucester Street. There are earthquake-damaged buildings and rubble on both sides of the street.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A view across Norwich Quay in Lyttelton showing damage to several buildings along the street, including the Lyttelton Hotel and the Stand Gourmet Takeaway Bar.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged former Christchurch Civic Offices on Tuam Street. The building has been fenced off and many windows have been broken.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
A photograph of the badly-damaged building at 128 Manchester Street. Shipping containers are stacked on the road in front of the west-facing facade.
The Manchester Courts building was a heritage building located in central Christchurch (New Zealand) that was damaged in the Mw 7.1 Darfield earthquake on 4 September 2010 and subsequently demolished as a risk reduction exercise. Because the building was heritage listed, the decision to demolish the building resulted in strong objections from heritage supporters who were of the opinion that the building had sufficient residual strength to survive possible aftershock earthquakes. On 22 February 2011 Christchurch was struck by a severe aftershock, leading to the question of whether building demolition had proven to be the correct risk reduction strategy. Finite element analysis was used to undertake a performance-based assessment, validating the accuracy of the model using the damage observed in the building before its collapse. In addition, soil-structure interaction was introduced into the research due to the comparatively low shear wave velocity of the soil. The demolition of a landmark heritage building was a tragedy that Christchurch will never recover from, but the decision was made considering safety, societal, economic and psychological aspects in order to protect the city and its citizens. The analytical results suggest that the Manchester Courts building would have collapsed during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and that the collapse of the building would have resulted in significant fatalities.
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged building on the corner of Montreal Street and Moorhouse Avenue. The top of the brick facade has crumbled onto the footpath below. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Registry Building on the corner of Montreal and Worcester Streets. Masonry around the gable has collapsed onto the footpath below. Steel bracing has been used to hold up the remaining masonry. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Registry Building on the corner of Montreal and Worcester Streets. Masonry around the gable has collapsed onto the footpath below. Steel bracing has been used to hold up the remaining masonry. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to Knox Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The brick walls of the gables have collapsed, exposing the building's wooden frame and the inside of the building. Wire fences and emergency tape have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on Lichfield Street. Masonry from the top section of the building has broken away and spilled onto the footpath below. A red sticker has been placed on the door, indicating that the building is unsafe to enter. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the column and window to the right.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Piko Wholefoods Building on the corner of Kilmore and Barbadoes Street. Sections of the top storey of the building have collapsed and the bricks and other rubble have spilled onto the footpath below. Steel fences have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of an earthquake-damaged building on Acton Street. The closest section of the outer wall has collapsed, the bricks and other rubble spilling onto the pavement in front. A boat which was being stored inside has toppled over and is now sticking out of the building. Several cars, also stored inside the building, are visible.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on Hereford Street. A column on the right side of the building has snapped and the side wall has pulled away from the building. USAR codes have been spray-painted on one of the windows on the bottom storey. In the foreground there is a police car.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Asko Design building on Victoria Street. The top of the facade has crumbled and fallen into the street, taking the awning with it. The side wall has also collapsed, exposing the inside of the building. Wire fencing and tape have been used to cordon the buildings off.
A photograph of earthquake damage to the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street. Cracks have formed between the windows of the building. A section of the bottom storey has collapsed, the bricks spilling onto the footpath. Steel fencing and road cones have been placed on the street in front of the building as a cordon.
The sequence of earthquakes that has affected Christchurch and Canterbury since September 2010 has caused damage to a great number of buildings of all construction types. Following post-event damage surveys performed between April 2011 and June 2011, the damage suffered by unreinforced stone masonry buildings is reported and different types of observed failures are described. A detailed technical description of the most prevalently observed failure mechanisms is provided, with reference to recognised failure modes for unreinforced masonry structures. The observed performance of existing seismic retrofit interventions is also provided, as an understanding of the seismic response of these interventions is of fundamental importance for assessing the vulnerability of similar strengthening techniques when applied to unreinforced stone masonry structures.