Moves to organize engineers, change building code for hollow floors

The collapse of the CTV building in the 2011 earthquake highlighted the dangers of inexperienced engineers working in high-risk engineering fields. Photo: Star News

A change in the building code was proposed after the Kaikoura earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings with hollow floors.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has approved a new regulatory system for engineers, which means they must be registered and subject to a code of conduct.

“The collapse of the CTV building in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake highlighted the dangers of inexperienced engineers working in high-risk engineering fields and the difficulty of holding substandard or unprofessional engineers to account,” a Cabinet paper said earlier this year.

The Kaikoura and Christchurch earthquakes both led to a seismic shift in how engineers understood building performance, and its regulatory implications continue to emerge.

Hollow flooring is a type of precast flooring that has been increasingly popular since the early 1980s because it was quick to build and cost-effective.

They have hollow tubes in the concrete units which makes them lighter than solid concrete floors. The units are manufactured off-site, then raised to rest on the beams and walls of the building, and a thin layer of concrete is laid on top of them.

However, cracks were discovered in the floors of many buildings across Wellington with this type of unit following the Kaikoura earthquake.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said in an advisory document that even the BNZ building, which was completed in 2009, showed cracks.

“This reaffirms that even modern hollow floor systems are susceptible to excessive damage during earthquakes, some of which are outside the scope of economical repair that could affect the building’s function and the health and safety of occupants.”

The BNZ building has since been demolished.

A later study from 2018 stated that the use of hollow floors in new buildings is not considered good structural engineering practice and is not recommended.

MBIE’s Director of Building Performance and Engineering, Dave Gittings, said the proposed change would require engineers to go beyond the current design method for hollow floors.

“We expect that engineers and designers looking to use these types of floors will be required to provide additional evidence (testing and analysis) to demonstrate that the support design complies with building code as an alternative solution.”

Genesis said MBIE predicted that the proposed change would reduce the chance of excessive damage or injury from poorly designed hollow floor systems in future earthquakes.

New Zealand’s chief engineering officer, Dr Richard Templar, said the organization would make a presentation on the proposal once members had been consulted.

“However, we do know that hollow units have known several fragility problems and failure mechanisms.”

MBIE’s consultation on proposed amendments to the Building Code will continue until July 1, 2022.

Apart from this, the government is moving to regulate the engineers themselves.

Officials estimate that about 38,000 engineers are not subject to any professional regulation.

“Without professional regulations, controls and penalties involved, there is a risk that substandard engineering work could lead to catastrophic failures, harm to the public or the environment, significant economic costs and damage to public confidence in the engineering profession,” the Cabinet paper said.

A new two-tier system is being designed that will require anyone providing professional engineering services to be registered. A new regulatory body will be created to oversee the system.

The Minister of Building and Construction, Botto Williams, said there is a lack of clarity about who can call themselves an engineer, making it difficult for consumers to know if an engineer qualifies to practice.

“The registration requirement will raise the professionalism of the engineering profession and provide a means to address misconduct and performance.”

Engineers will also be subject to a code of conduct and there will be new licensing requirements to restrict practice in high-risk engineering disciplines.

“Officials are currently developing a bill that I look forward to having in the House later this year,” Williams said.

By Georgina Campbell

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