A sign outside St John the Baptist Church in Latimer Square advertising new venues for church services. Behind it the front wall of the church can be seen with the plywood and tarpaulins that have been used to weather proof the gaps where masonry has fallen away.
A view down Sumner Road in Lyttelton with the former Lyttelton Public Library building to the left and the former Lyttelton Fire Station building to the right. Masonry has collapsed from both buildings and wire fencing has been placed around their bases as cordons.
The Royal Commission into the Canterbury Earthquakes has heard evidence questioning the measure used to judge how resistant a building is to earthquake damage. It's come on the second day of hearings into why unreinforced masonry buildings collapsed in Christchurch during the February 22nd earthquake, killing 40 people.
A house on Avonside Drive showing damage from the 4 September 2010 earthquake. Numerous cracks in the masonry can be seen, and several sections of brick have fallen off the walls. The building's porch has also collapsed. A pile of dried liquefaction is visible in the driveway.
St John's Presbyterian Church on Winchester Street in Lyttelton. The ground around the church has been strewn with masonry from the church's walls and collapsed tower. The spire of the collapsed tower has fallen in front of the church, which has been enclosed by a safety fence.
St John's Presbyterian Church on Winchester Street in Lyttelton. The ground around the church is strewn with masonry that has fallen from the church's walls and collapsed tower. The building's front door has been red-stickered and a sign that reads "No entry" is stuck to it.
A sign outside St John the Baptist Church in Latimer Square advertising new venues for church services. Behind it the front wall of the church can be seen with the plywood and tarpaulins that have been used to weather proof the gaps where masonry has fallen away.
The 2010 Darfield earthquake is the largest earthquake on record to have occurred within 40 km of a major city and not cause any fatalities. In this paper the authors have reflected on their experiences in Christchurch following the earthquake with a view to what worked, what didn’t, and what lessons can be learned from this for the benefit of Australian earthquake preparedness. Owing to the fact that most of the observed building damage occurred in Unreinforced Masonry (URM) construction, this paper focuses in particular on the authors’ experience conducting rapid building damage assessment during the first 72 hours following the earthquake and more detailed examination of the performance of unreinforced masonry buildings with and without seismic retrofit interventions.
A house on Avonside Drive showing damage from the 4 September 2010 earthquake. Numerous cracks in the masonry can be seen, and several sections of brick have fallen off the walls. The building's porch has also collapsed. A pile of dried liquefaction is visible in the driveway.
The southern side of the Christ Church Cathedral with boarded up windows and damage to the roof above both of the transepts. Damaged masonry has been piled on the ground in front and one of the spires has been removed and braced with steel in the foreground.
A photograph of St John the Baptist Church on the corner of Madras and Hereford Streets. Sections of the closest wall have crumbled and steel bracing has been used to hold up the rest. Wire fencing has been placed around the bracing as a cordon.
Damage to the church hall of St John the Baptist Church in Latimer Square. The roof has been weather proofed with plywood and there are cracks in the buildings masonry. The remains of fallen bricks can be seen on the footpath. A safety fence has been erected around the building.
Damage to the church hall of St John the Baptist Church in Latimer Square. The roof has been weather proofed with plywood and there are cracks in the buildings masonry. The remains of fallen bricks can be seen on the footpath. A safety fence has been erected around the building.
An excavator bunching up scrap metal as part of efforts to clear the site of the demolished Hillary and Marshall Limited building on Manchester Street. A pile of scrapped wooden components can be seen at the back of the site, and a pile of masonry is visible in the foreground.
A view looking west down Tuam Street across the High Street intersection. Road cones line the street. The photographer comments, "This was taken shortly after the 4th September earthquake. Police allowed us free access past the cordon and simply advised us to watch out for falling masonry. The access situation was much different after the February aftershock".
A view across London Street in Lyttelton showing damage to the Four Square supermarket and Lyttelton Coffee Company buildings. The Four Square's windows have been boarded up with plywood. and cracks are visible in the masonry of the Lyttelton Coffee Company building. Steel rods have been installed to support its sagging awning.
A view across Battersea Street in Sydenham to Churchill's Tavern, which has been badly damaged in the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Masonry from the building's top storey has collapsed onto the footpath and several of its windows have fallen out. A member of the New Zealand Police Force is walking across Colombo Street in the background.
A view across Worcester Street in Linwood to a block of shops, including Easy Traders Whiteware and Furniture. Masonry, structural components and the Easy Traders building's veranda have collapsed onto the road. The whole back section of the shops has also collapsed. The site is enclosed by a safety fence.
Damage to the front gable of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Masonry has fallen from the top of the gable, and the resulting gap has been weather proofed with plywood, tarpaulins and metal tiles. The steel bracing propping the whole front wall can be seen at the bottom of the photograph.
Damaged buildings on Manchester Street, seen from the Tuam Street intersection. Police emergency tape cordons off the street. The photographer comments, "This was taken shortly after the 4th September earthquake. Police allowed us free access past the cordon and simply advised us to watch out for falling masonry. The access situation was much different after the February aftershock".
One landscape colour digital photograph taken on 6 September 2010 showing earthquake damage to a red brick fence on Bealey Avenue. Unreinforced brick masonry was particularly susceptible to damage during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes. Walls and fences constructed from on many properties were shaken loose causing piles of rubble to litter...
In the early morning of 4th September 2010 the region of Canterbury, New Zealand, was subjected to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The epicentre was located near the town of Darfield, 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. This was the country’s most damaging earthquake since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake (GeoNet, 2010). Since 4th September 2010 the region has been subjected to thousands of aftershocks, including several more damaging events such as a magnitude 6.3 aftershock on 22nd February 2011. Although of a smaller magnitude, the earthquake on 22nd February produced peak ground accelerations in the Christchurch region three times greater than the 4th September earthquake and in some cases shaking intensities greater than twice the design level (GeoNet, 2011; IPENZ, 2011). While in September 2010 most earthquake shaking damage was limited to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, in February all types of buildings sustained damage. Temporary shoring and strengthening techniques applied to buildings following the Darfield earthquake were tested in February 2011. In addition, two large aftershocks occurred on 13th June 2011 (magnitudes 5.7 and 6.2), further damaging many already weakened structures. The damage to unreinforced and retrofitted clay brick masonry buildings in the 4th September 2010 Darfield earthquake has already been reported by Ingham and Griffith (2011) and Dizhur et al. (2010b). A brief review of damage from the 22nd February 2011 earthquake is presented here
The September Canterbury earthquake. These pictures were taken of The New Zealand Army, along with Police, minding the cordons. This was beside The Press building, and behind the Christchurch Cathedral. Note: these photos were taken on a cellphone; mind the quality.
A view across London Street in Lyttelton to The Volcano Cafe, The Lava Bar, and Coastal Living Design Store. Masonry from the buildings has collapsed onto the footpath, and the site has been cordoned off with wire fencing. The buildings' yellow recycling bins are still waiting on the curb for collection.
Following the 2010/2011 Canterbury, New Zealand earthquakes, a detailed door-to-door survey was conducted in the Christchurch region to establish the earthquake performance of lightweight timber-framed residential dwellings with a masonry veneer external cladding system. The post-earthquake survey involved documenting the condition of dwellings in areas that had experienced different levels of earthquake shaking, allowing comparison between the performance of different veneer systems and different shaking intensities. In total, just fewer than 1,100 residential dwellings were inspected throughout the wider Christchurch area. The survey included parameters such as level of veneer damage, type of veneer damage, observed crack widths, and level of repair required. It is concluded that based on observed earthquake performance at the shaking intensities matching or exceeding ultimate limit state loading, the post-1996 veneer fixing details performed satisfactorily and continued use of the detail is recommended without further modification. AM - Accepted Manuscript
A digitally manipulated image of a mannequin. The photographer comments, "During the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011 a lot of people were seriously injured or killed because they run out of buildings. Falling masonry from the exterior of the buildings hit them, but if they had remained inside they would have probably been perfectly safe".
Scaffolding that has been constructed on the Manchester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. Masonry has fallen from one of the building's gables, and the resultant gap has been weather proofed with plywood and a tarpaulin. The site has been enclosed in a safety fence that cuts off one lane of the road.
A police officer talks to the driver of a NZ Post truck at a cordon across Tuam Street. Military personnel stand nearby. The photographer comments, "this was taken shortly after the 4th September earthquake. Police allowed us free access past the cordon and simply advised us to watch out for falling masonry. The access situation was much different after the February aftershock".
One right front black Mazda CX7 car door damaged during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This panel once belonged to a Mazda CX7 car that was crushed by falling rubble during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Considerably bent out of shape, it demonstrates the potential danger from falling masonry during an earthquake. The spray painted markings...
One right rear black Mazda CX7 car door damaged during the 22 February 2011 earthquake; white USAR spray paint markings 'P/T // CLE[AR]'. This panel once belonged to a Mazda CX7 car that was crushed by falling rubble during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Considerably bent out of shape, it demonstrates the potential danger from falling masonry...