Why are some recently constructed buildings vulnerable to earthquakes?

The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake caused greater demand (and damage) on taller buildings, than shorter buildings in Wellington, because of the capitals distance from the quake's epicentre. In an earthquake centred closer to Wellington we would still expect those smaller buildings to have significant damage.

The impact of the Kaikōura earthquake on Wellington's buildings has also helped identify construction materials and methods for floors as seismically vulnerable. Large experiments have been undertaken to understand this behaviour in order to retrofit existing structures, and proposed alternative approaches for new structures

By understanding how infrastructure performs in extreme events, like earthquakes, we actually also improve the performance of that infrastructure on a daily basis.

QuakeCoRE Director, Prof. Brendon Bradley.