BeckerFraserPhotos May 2011 photograph 0712

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Salisbury Street (about number 58)".

BeckerFraserPhotos June 2012 photograph 264

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A view of Hereford Street, looking west from number 92".

The Effectiveness of Retrofit Technologies in Wooden-Framed Houses in Well…

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

New Zealand has a long tradition of using light timber frame for construction of its domestic dwellings. After the most recent earthquakes (e.g. Canterbury earthquakes sequence), wooden residential houses showed satisfactory life safety performance. However, poor performance was reported in terms of their seismic resilience. Although numerous innovative methods to mitigate damage have been introduced to the New Zealand community in order to improve wooden house performance, these retrofit options have not been readily taken up. The low number of retrofitted wooden-framed houses leads to questions about whether homeowners are aware of the necessity of seismic retrofitting their houses to achieve a satisfactory seismic performance. This study aims to explore different retrofit technologies that can be applied to wooden-framed houses in Wellington, taking into account the need of homeowners to understand the risk, likelihood and extent of damage expected after an event. A survey will be conducted in Wellington about perceptions of homeowners towards the expected performance of their wooden-framed houses. The survey questions were designed to gain an understanding of homeowners' levels of safety and awareness of possible damage after a seismic event. Afterwards, a structural review of a sample of the houses will be undertaken to identify common features and detail potential seismic concerns. The findings will break down barriers to making improvements in the performance of wooden-framed houses and lead to enhancements in the confidence of homeowners in the event of future seismic activity. This will result in increased understanding and contribute towards an accessible knowledge base, which will possibly increase significantly the use of these technologies and avoid unnecessary economic and social costs after a seismic event.

BeckerFraserPhotos May 2013 photograph 059

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An abandoned residential property at 35 Seabreeze Close in Bexley. Weeds are growing through the cracks in the ground and the yard has become overgrown. The number 35 has been spray-painted onto the entrance of the house.

BeckerFraserPhotos May 2013 photograph 061

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An abandoned residential property at 31 Seabreeze Close in Bexley. The number 31 has been spray-painted onto the entrance of the house. The door appears to be open. Weeds are growing through the cracks in the driveway.

BeckerFraserPhotos May 2013 photograph 040

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A residential property at 4 Seabreeze Close in Bexley. The number four and 'Still here' have been spray-painted onto the front of the house. A portable toilet, road cones, and old tyres have been left on the section.

Jim Baltaxe WEMO Photograph 032

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of rubble from a number of earthquake-damaged buildings on Bealey Avenue. Bricks from the building in the distance have spilled onto the footpath in front and wire fencing has been used to cordon it off. In the foreground, rubble from a demolished house can be seen. Cordon tape reading "danger keep out" has been draped across the fence.