It doesn’t matter if the building stays up in an earthquake, if a duct falls on your head.
Buildings contain several non-structural elements, including ceilings, partitions, HVAC, pipework, electrical systems, fire suppression systems and so on. These all need to be mounted so that they stay put in an earthquake. Experience in the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes showed that insufficient seismic restraint of non-structural elements presented a significant risk to people. This had a major effect on how quickly buildings could be reoccupied after an earthquake, and the failure of non-structural elements was a significant contributor to the cost of earthquakes.
The easy way to manage this risk is to have the seismic restraint systems for non-structural elements designed by a professional engineer and documented in a PS1(Producer Statement) signed by a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng). These designs are completed considering the NZ seismic loading code NZS 1170.5, and the various standards applicable to specific elements (and including no small amount of design from first principles).
Seismic design on non-structural elements is a specialised field, with few engineers practicing in this area in New Zealand. Motovated Design & Analysis has a team ofengineers (six of them CPEng-registered), with a combined 30 years’ experience in non-structural seismic restraint.
Motovated can provide non-structural seismic design for ceilings, HVAC/mechanical services, fire suppression systems, hydraulic pipework, electrical systems, and partitions. We can design for either one specific service on your project or carry out coordinated bracing design for all the non-structural elements, to achieve a more efficient design overall. During installation, we can carry out construction monitoring to ensure that the designs are being properly installed, and to resolve issues that occur on site.
Our CPEng-registered engineers can issue PS1s, PS2s and PS4s as needed for your project.
