2020’s seismic engineering achievements

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Tino Seismic has achieved a lot in 2020, despite the many challenges presented by Covid-19. We’ve performed seismic engineering work on a wide range of projects in 29 different cities/towns around NZ. This includes retail, industrial, office, hotel, school, restaurant, apartment, supermarket and public buildings.

Initial Seismic Assessments (ISA / IEP)

This year, we’ve completed numerous Initial Seismic Assessments (ISAs) and IEP reports for property owners, buyers and investors, as well as the real estate & financial industry.

Important decisions are often made based on the results of these assessments (e.g. loan, insurance & purchase decisions), so we leave no stone unturned in our investigation. At Tino Seismic, we take great pride in our accuracy and attention to detail.

Detailed Seismic Assessments & Earthquake Strengthening

Detailed Seismic Assessments (DSAs) and seismic strengthening projects have also made up a large chunk of our work, particularly in regions with a medium to high seismic risk (see our seismic risk map).

Some clients think earthquake strengthening is like fixing a deck. Unfortunately, that is not the case as it requires complex building works, council consent and monitoring by a chartered engineer under the Building Act.

Our earthquake strengthening process is as follows.

DSA & concept design (for planning and budgeting)
Detailed design (for consenting and construction)
Tendering
Construction

We’re often asked “I’ve had a poor rating from an ISA. Why do I need a DSA to fix my building?” Or “I don’t want to do a DSA or any design work yet, but can you tell me how much it will cost to fix my building?”

A DSA is essential for earthquake strengthening because it tells us precisely what’s wrong with a building, which parts are structurally weak and how it might behave in the event of an earthquake. The design will dictate how we fix it and what materials/products are required, so both must be completed in order to strengthen your building and estimate any construction costs.

Tino Seismic’s DSAs are performed using an objective scientific method, ensuring the results are both accurate and actionable. Simply relying on an ISA can cost you in the long term as it is not as rigorous as a DSA and can underestimate the resilience of your building, leading to unnecessary strengthening works and significantly higher construction costs.

Recently we carried out a DSA, concept & detailed retrofit design, as well as building consent documentation for a 100-year-old heritage building.

During the previous ISA, we estimated that the old unreinforced masonry (URM) walls would need to be strengthened by adding extensive adjacent concrete shear walls. We investigated further with a DSA and tested the old masonry, site subsoils and built accurate earthquake simulation models which demonstrated the 100-year-old URM walls would remain stable under 67%NBS in-plane earthquake loading. However, the timber floor and roof lacked strength, stiffness and connectivity with the walls. This resulted in a significant saving for our client, as only the floor, roof diaphragms, parapets and chimneys needed to be fixed.

Figure 1 – On-site and laboratory testing of old masonry

Figure 2 – Tino Seismic’s earthquake simulation model of URM wall

Accurate Assessment of Earthquake-Prone Buildings

In 2020, we carried out 15 accurate assessments of earthquake prone buildings (EPBs). These assessments help us understand how a building is likely to perform in the event of an earthquake.

We’ve recently provided engineering inputs into the reassessment of a seven-storey concrete building that was previously identified as earthquake prone (under 34%NBS). We found several flawed assumptions in the original assessment, including the subsoil class, seismic mass, ground support, structural stiffness and material strengths. The reassessment was peer reviewed and resulted in a final rating of 40%NBS, meaning the building was no longer considered earthquake prone.

Seismic Restraint of Equipment & Non-Structural Elements

This year, we’ve designed, documented and site inspected seismic restraint systems for a huge range of equipment and non-structural components to comply with the relevant NZ standards. Our clients for this kind of work include IT giants, as well as leading global manufacturers, suppliers and contractors.

Recently, we reviewed the seismic restraint design for a range of heavy equipment imported from Sweden. The designs were produced by a US-based firm in accordance with their building codes and regulations. We found that both the horizontal force at the centre of gravity and the pull-out tensile capacity of the anchors were not calculated correctly when using the NZ standard.

Following this discovery, we revised the design to full compliance, including the use of thicker steel plates and additional bolts and ground anchors for increased stability.

Seismic Peer Review

In the past year, we completed 37 peer reviews of seismic assessments performed by other firms.

In these reviews, we often see engineers adopting a new build approach when assessing existing buildings. This is a less reliable method and usually underestimates the true strength of a structure.

Our peer review process involves a high-level initial review (all our clients receive their first initial review for free), followed by the identification of high-level issues that require immediate attention. We then carry out parallel calculations and analysis to verify the results and provide actionable recommendations.

We were recently asked to peer review a DSA completed by a reputable engineering firm on a Category 1 URM heritage building.

According to the firm, the building was earthquake prone and the critical structural weakness was a URM wall with 20%NBS. We performed independent displacement-based analysis and calculations which showed the critical wall would rock during an earthquake in a stable manner, dissipating seismic energy and limiting damage to the building.

As a result, we rated the wall at 60%NBS. This increase was due to the fact that the previous engineer didn’t recognize this rocking behaviour and conservatively assumed the wall had little to no strength to resist an earthquake.

Tino Seismic 2020 Client Testimonials:

“We engaged Tino Seismic to assess our medical centre and the work was delivered on time. They are very qualified in the work they do and that’s why we will use them again soon, and very happy to refer them to others.”
– Dr Paul Salmon, Director and Dermatologic Surgeon, Skin Centre Tauranga

“We used Tino Seismic on our project to carry out seismic design, documentation and site inspection for a large healthcare provider in the South Island. We found Tino Seismic very helpful and great to deal with. We will be engaging Tino Seismic again in the future and would highly recommend their work.”
– National Programme Manager (NZ & Australia), Medical Technology Industry

“We found Dr John Jing and his business great to deal with. He is a very good communicator and does the work in an efficient manner. We have used Tino Seismic many times because he produces great reports and that’s why we always refer him on to others.”
– Geoff Wyatt, Sales & Leasing, Bayleys

“We have worked with John from Tino on three projects since September this year. We find the experience very proficient and professional and a lot easier to deal with compared to other companies we have worked with in the past. Outcomes from the work have all been successful and we would totally recommend Tino to others.”
– Alex Hopkinson, Associate Director of CBRE

“Right from the beginning we were very impressed by Dr John from Tino Seismic. We liked his positive view to working with the existing strength of our building and designing an innovative solution that was sympathetic to the historical look and feel. The work was very well organised and a great fix. We have already recommended Tino Seismic to other people as we believe his experience and approach fitted our design brief and budget perfectly.”
– Jason Tidmarsh, Director of Tidmarsh Holdings Ltd

“We had great dealings with Tino Seismic on our Earthquake Assessment Project in Ashhurst. We have struggled with other businesses in the past to get good reporting but Tino are good communicators and offer a great service because they go that extra mile. We are happy to recommend them to others for professional advice, tips and good value.”
– James Candish, Managing Director of Village Valley Automotive Ltd

“We had Dr John Jing come down to visit our site and carry out a Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA), 67%NBS seismic strengthening design and Building Consent documentation for a seventeen hundred square meter retail building in Napier. Dr John did a very good job, was very efficient and fast. We are very happy to recommend Tino Seismic and their professional service.”
– Radhika Chawla, Director of Mona Trustee Company Ltd

“We got an Earthquake Assessment done on our industrial building in Auckland from Tino Seismic. We were very happy with the results because they understood our situation well and we successfully secured a rental client for our building. We highly recommend this company.”
– Thomas Donald Sinclair, Commercial Building Owner

“We had quick and responsive reporting from Tino. They kept to the timelines and budget they gave us. The outcome of the Earthquake Assessment we got for our commercial building in Kaikohe was great because it really helped us understand our building better. We have recommended Tino to others because of the professional work.”
– Rob Koops, Director of Melia Investments Ltd

“We engaged Tino Seismic to help with assessment and strengthening design of two heritage listed buildings in Marton and Wanganui. We found Tino Seismic the most credible business in the market with a good finger on the pulse and up to date with New Zealand’s current standards. We found the the service quick and responsive and would highly recommend Tino Seismic to all those needing good honest and professional advice.”
– Andra Lazarescu, Director of Seven Peaks Pacific Ltd

“We had a tight deadline to get an Earthquake Assessment for our commercial building in Hamilton. Tino Seismic met that deadline successfully and in easy fashion. I have no hesitation to recommend Tino Seismic because they are quick and professional to deal with.”
– Mark Munns, Director of MMT Property Ltd

“For our building project in Wellington we received prompt results at a very good standard from Tino Seismic. Easy to deal with is what we liked so we would recommend them to any other building owners needing this type of service.”
– Enrico Federico, Commercial Building Owner

“Tino delivered professional, precise, quick results that took minimal input on my behalf which made getting compliance easy for our building in Te Awamutu.”
– Stephen Reymer, Director of Reyland Ltd

As you can see, 2020 has been a big year for us, and we’re proud of the work we do all around the country. If you would like to know more or discuss getting seismic engineering work done on one of your properties, feel free to contact us for an obligation-free chat.