1 Feb 2018
MBIE is proposing to amend eight engineering equations in the Concrete Buildings section of the Seismic Assessments of Existing Buildings – Technical Guidelines for Engineering Assessments. The equations relate to seismic assessments of existing buildings constructed with reinforced concrete.
The need for these corrections was identified as part of an ongoing review of Section C5 (Concrete Buildings) of the Guidelines that MBIE has commissioned.
MBIE has issued a consultation document that contains the proposed corrections. The consultation period ends at 5pm on Monday 26 February 2018.
The updated Guidelines will not automatically invalidate prior engineering assessments or council decisions. Use of the corrected equations could increase or decrease the probable capacities of some structural elements relative to others within the building.
The amendments will only take effect when MBIE’s Chief Executive approves them being incorporated into the Engineering Assessment Guidelines. This is expected to be in March 2018.
SESOC, NZSEE, Concrete NZ Learned Society and Engineering New Zealand recommend that where possible you delay any assessment that could be affected by the proposed changes that is responding to a Council request for an assessment. Where the assessment is not a result of a Council request, we recommend that you do not use equations that need correcting.
