Following the magnitude 6.3 aftershock in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 February 2011, a number of researchers were sent to Christchurch as part of the New Zealand Natural Hazard Research Platform funded “Project Masonry” Recovery Project. Their goal was to document and interpret the damage to the masonry buildings and churches in the region. Approximately 650 unreinforced and retrofitted clay brick masonry buildings in the Christchurch area were surveyed for commonly occurring failure patterns and collapse mechanisms. The entire building stock of Christchurch, and in particular the unreinforced masonry building stock, is similar to that in the rest of New Zealand, Australia, and abroad, so the observations made here are relevant for the entire world.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Jeremy Stewart of Alice in Videoland holding 'When a City Falls', the film recently released about the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes".
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.
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks
12th April 2012 Demolition of Crowne Plaza/Park Royal Hotel due to damage from 22nd February 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks