Why do we need to worry about earthquakes in Australia?
Throughout much of the past decade, our industry showed concerns over Australia’s National Construction Code and the lack thereof in responsibilities over earthquake actions in newly built structures across Australia.
At Con-form Group, we are proud partners of Engineers Australia (EA), the trusted voice of the engineering profession and, we approached them with the idea of hosting a webinar dedicated to the education of seismic compliance of non-structural components. EA’s CPD-accredited Thought Leader Series was an ideal platform for this vital topic. In this webinar, our key speakers presented on the subject matter and research from here in Australia and internationally. Taking a sector approach, our speakers share insights including global trends, best practices, and local and overseas case studies.
How well do you understand seismic compliance?
Kayl Byrne, Structural Engineer at KCL Engineering said, “There’s a general popular misconception among the general public and a lot of professionals that Australia doesn’t experience Earthquakes, or they are negligible; that’s not the case, and it’s something that should be challenged.”
To learn more about Con-form Group’s position on seismic compliance, click here to read our blog which challenges your understanding of seismic compliance and provides you with guidance for future projects. It also introduces you to the ultimate solution for seismically fixing non-structural components.
For non-structural components
Buildings designed after the adoption of AS1170.4 in 1993 are believed to have adequate structural resistance to seismic loads. However, between 1993 and 2019, it was common for non-structural elements to have little-to-no earthquake resistance elements in their design.
AS1170.4 Section 8 requires non-structural parts and components to be considered concerning horizontal and vertical earthquake actions.
Today, it is expected that non-structural components – such as mechanical plant equipment, HVAC platforms, ceilings, walls, plumbing, and electrical work (such as lighting fixtures), have seismic capabilities built into their design and function. They must be able to withstand horizontal and vertical seismic forces.
Kayl Byrne discusses “the seismic risk is now being looked at the closer level of scrutiny since the Grenfell tower disaster (2017), and the issue with combustible claddings, but still there is a long way to go”.
Remembering the event of February 2011, Milton How, Director of VAICO (providing seismic engineering design and code compliance for non-structural building services), said “I have lived through two disastrous earthquakes of over 6 magnitudes on Richter scale in a 5 month period and, the fact that these two violent earthquakes happened so close to each other, it weakened the building and caused a disaster on a big scale”.
Milton further added “he was very close to the Canterbury Television Building event and spent 24 hours on site along with the first responders. There was a gas leakage in one lane; Telco’s were down, so there was no communication. The whole experience was overwhelming”. This made him realise that they must take steps to minimise the damage these extreme weather events can cause, which in turn led to the innovation of the V.LOCK system.
Future trends
In regards to what he perceives as future trends Kayl says, “in the coming two years, Australia will be experiencing earthquakes of average magnitude 6 whereas in 10 years, we can experience hit of magnitude 5 every two years”. The last time Australia got hit with a magnitude of 5.6, Newcastle [NSW] was shaken to the core in 1989, causing the loss of 13 lives and 150+ injuries while also damaging fifty thousand buildings.
About Con-form Group products
The aim for AS11 70.4 in the event of an earthquake, is to prevent collapse and protect life. The structure must be able to absorb energy from seismic activity and protect human life.
The in-house Engineering and R&D team at Con-form Group takes measures to address the risks associated with seismic activity by considering safety and compliance at their heart.
On top of it, our products have a 25-year warranty.
We are here to help ensure that non-structural components of your building are capable of holding your secondary components (such as HVAC units, ceilings, ductwork, pipelines) when the next horizontal or vertical shaking happens.
If you have any questions, contact us today!
