Local conditions rule!
Cheers Cliff,
Do you remember that earthquake in NSW (Wollongong I think), about 1985?
It caused widespread damage, yet was only low magnitude.
The "leaky building" problem in Auckland and elsewhere seem to have come about when they allowed new building practices at the same time as changing timber treatment standards to allow alternatives to boric treatment of radiata pine softwoods. Instead of a pesticide with fungicide properties they used pesticides only to combat "wood borer insects", and any minor leaks now resulted in rotting.
I was in Turkey last month visiting Gallipoli and was looking at some new buildings in Ecebat. What scared me was the skinny columns compared to the floor slabs. To me this is a recipe for disaster, as there is no bracing between floors to stop columns failing and the pancake effect of falling floors. Maybe their earthquakes occur in the eastern side of the country?
In Oz the wind will be a greater danger, and design standards will show this. We use "cyclone ties" to hold roof trusses down but they are pretty useless in a cyclone!
We have a NZMVCC meeting in Christchurch next month, so I hope to get a look at some of the city then.
all the best for all our friends and relatives in Christchurch and mid Canterbury
regards
Rob
ps. well done the Wallabies!
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