Resilient Buildings: Contextual Considerations (Stage 2b Final Report)

Abstract

How do Kiwis in the 2020s want buildings to perform during and after an earthquake? Do New Zealand’s current systems and approaches provide buildings that meet these 21st century expectations or what changes may be appropriate?

The Resilient Buildings project was conceived to explore these and associated questions in order to rethink the framework for New Zealand’s earthquake standards and design approach and lay the groundwork to develop resilient building design, fit for the 21st century.

This report “Contextual Considerations” outlines work carried out between April to June 2022 to complement and further develop an understanding of the parameters impacting building seismic performance following research to explore societal expectations for the seismic performance of buildings which the project published in March 2022.

This stage of the resilient buildings project sought to delve into the societal expectations research and provide more detailed data reporting, explore the complexities and interdependencies for change in the built environment and the options available to address gaps. It also sought to review earlier work undertaken, identify key issues and develop a prospective methodology for articulating contemporary expectations of tolerable performance and establishing performance objectives in buildings.