The Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings (the Guidelines) provides a technical basis for engineers to assess existing buildings within New Zealand that are potentially earthquake-prone buildings.
Part A of the Guidelines outlines the scope and application, and provides a general overview of the seismic assessment process. It describes the linkage with the relevant requirements of the Building Act 2004, associated regulations and the EPB methodology. It also provides a brief overview and outline of the key principles of reducing the seismic risk within buildings – designing seismic ‘improvement’.
Part C of the Guidelines sets out the Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) process. This is a more comprehensive assessment than the Initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) process set out in Part B. The DSA assesses the structural load paths for the whole building, the capacity of each structural element, the likely inelastic mechanisms, the global building response to earthquake shaking and the impact of secondary structural and critical non-structural building elements.
The DSA process is based on the Part A principles, which are an integral part of the seismic assessment process. Sections C1, C2, C3 and C4 provide an overview of the DSA process, the assessment procedures and analysis techniques, the earthquake demands and geotechnical considerations.
Sections C5 to C9 of the DSA process provide recommendations for specific materials. Section C10 provides recommendations for secondary structural and non-structural elements. Each of these sections build on the common aspects within Sections C1 to C4 and Part A.
Section C5 of the Engineering Assessment Guidelines above includes a two-page Errata published on 26 March 2018. This version and the errata must be used for an assessment that a territorial authority will use to decide if a building is earthquake prone.
