How can we reduce damage to buildings after major earthquakes?

With every earthquake we learn more about how buildings behave, and we can apply those learning's to increase the resilience of our buildings in future earthquakes.

New Zealand has a range of building types, with different levels of resilience to earthquakes: from pre-1930s where earthquakes were not a consideration, through to present day and the latest in building design, which aims for little to no damage following an earthquake.

Advanced seismic-resistant structural systems, such as base isolation and ‘rocking structures’, are able to deform during earthquake shaking without damage, or minor damage that can be easily replaced. However, the fragility of non-structural components – partitions, glazing, ceilings, sprinklers – still requires significant improvement to achieve seismically-resilient buildings.

QuakeCoRE Director, Prof. Brendon Bradley.