New cloud based tool to help earthquake resilience

29 January 2016

New cloud based tool to help earthquake resilience of older buildings

Local authorities and property owners are looking at efficient ways of ensuring the safety and earthquake resilience of older buildings ahead of impending changes to earthquake legislation.

Under the proposed ‘risk focused’ changes to the Earthquake Prone Buildings Amendment Act, approximately 2,000 buildings nationwide will be classed as ‘priority buildings’, particularly if they have hotspots such as unrestrained parapets which could fall onto a public footpaths or roads.

The Act will mean that assessments in high risk areas will need to be completed in two and a half years and upgraded within seven and a half years, while in medium risk area, like South Canterbury, the assessments would need to occur in five years with repairs within 12.5 years.

Of main concern are main street, historical unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings with masonry walls which tend to fall outwards in earthquakes.

“These buildings could certainly benefit from modification to catch falling debris from walls and unsupported parapets above,” says Jonathon Dutton, Building Information Modelling (BIM) Manager at national structural and civil engineering firm Structex.

Dutton says that the challenge with a number of these buildings is that original drawings are often unavailable, “meaning information has to be recaptured, which adds to both time and cost.

“A useful tool has been use of point cloud scanning of URM buildings, a new technology that uses laser scanning to produce extremely accurate three-dimensional point cloud models of a building as it currently lies.

“It’s proven extremely helpful in analysing buildings and making decisions when it comes to earthquake strengthening or future changes, speeding the design and construction process and making it easier for local authorities and property owners to ensure their buildings are up to standard well ahead of deadline.”

One of the first uses of the technology was for the iconic DC Turnbull building and former wool dump on Strathallan Street, Timaru.

Craig Smith, operations manager of DC Turnbull, says the scan had produced an extremely accurate picture of the two linked buildings, which dated back to 1880.

“We commissioned the engineers’ report as we are reviewing options for the site, which is currently not being used to its full capacity.

“It was pretty impressive turnaround time too, taking only two days versus what we were expecting to take several weeks for buildings of this complexity and age,” added Smith.

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