Building standards to be reviewed in wake of 'unacceptable' performance Statistics House
An image from the MBIE report shows damage inside Statistics House.
New Zealand's building and design standards will be reviewed following the partial collapse of Statistics House in the November earthquake.
An investigation into the performance of the Statistics New Zealand headquarters found that while the building generally met the building standards of the time, some design aspects and the particular ferocity of the shaking in the area meant it was subjected to forced which were not anticipated in the building code.
Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith ordered a probe when it emerged that two floors of the building - which was built a decade ago - partially collapsed.
While a number of buildings were damaged in the November earthquake, the partial collapse of Statistics House quickly led to a government inquiry.
Smith said the building's failure could have resulted in deaths.
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"The performance of Statistics House in the Kaikōura earthquake was unacceptable and could have caused fatalities," Smith said.
A large concrete beam in the ground floor of Statistics House collapsed in the quake.
"This quake was large and unusually long but a modern building like Statistics House should not have had life-threatening structural damage."
While the report found that the building was "generally" designed to industry standards of the time, those standards did not account for the way concrete beams performed during earthquakes.
A combination of factors meant it was subjected to forces which were "not anticipated by the New Zealand design standards" in the building code of the time.
The entrance to Statistics House.
These forces were the combination of a flexible frame on precast concrete beams, damage to Statistics House's floor-units, the length of the shaking and, crucially, the amplification of ground shaking in the Thorndon area, due to its proximity to the harbour.
Smith said the type of shaking was not related to reclaimed land, but the ground shaking in a basin.
"This phenomena is similar to the way sea waves respond to a wall in an enclosed bay," Smith said.
In the wake of the Canterbury Earthquake Royal Commission, a seismic assessment of Statistics House identified floor units at the corners of the buildings as "critical elements".
CentrePort, which owned Statistics House, had begun strengthening the building, and where the work was complete it performed as it should have, however the work had not been completed at the time of the quake.
As well as a review of design standards, Smith said MBIE would investigate whether officials needed additional powers to compel building owners which could face the same problems as Statistics House to get engineering reports.
In the days after the earthquake Smith announced a technical report into the performance of modern buildings, and whether there were "wider lessons for improved design".
During the November quake a large beam in the ground floor of Statistics House collapsed, raising the possibility that staff or visitors could have been crushed if the quake had happened during the daytime.
A day after the earthquake Government Statistician Liz MacPherson said the fact the shake happened at night when the building was something she "will be forever grateful for".
Already the inquiry has led to a wider look at Wellington's buildings, with the owners of 80 buildings around the capital's central business district asked to do more invasive testing.
Wellington City Council ordered additional engineering reports under new powers granted to it by the Government.
- Stuff
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