Department’s Engineering Advisory Group
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The Engineering Advisory Group (EAG) assists the Department to develop interim guidance, which is later incorporated into official/approved Department Guidance documents. It operates two functional workstreams – Residential and Commercial. These are differentiated in accordance with the Building Act definition of earthquake prone buildings1.
The EAG was established after the Darfield, Canterbury Earthquake of 4 September 2010, to consider a range of technical issues involved in the recovery of residential dwellings. Initially the EAG worked with the Earthquake commission (EQC) investigating how residential structures responded to liquefaction. The Department took the findings and, working with the EAG, developed technical guidance on the repair and reconstruction of houses damaged in the Canterbury earthquake. This was published in December 2010.
The EAG did further work during January and early February to address other technical issues relating to residential dwellings. The focus of the work was on providing technical guidance and facilitating the interface between engineering consultants, insurers and local authorities.
The far more damaging 22 February 2011 earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks, have created an even greater need for co-ordinated technical information in relation to the assessment and repair/ reconstruction specification of buildings. The EAG has been expanded to include a commercial workstream.
Objectives of the Engineering Advisory Group
(i) To provide guidance on engineering requirements and regulatory processes for the assessment of damage and specification of repair and reconstruction.
(ii) To facilitate interaction between engineers, EQC, commercial insurers, the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority and Christchurch City, Selwyn District and Waimakiriri District councils on the engineering requirements and regulatory issues and processes.
(iii) To convey the engineering requirements for various repair and reconstruction options and techniques to the insurance, design and construction sectors.
Structure and Composition of the Engineering Advisory Group
The Engineering Advisory Group is set up as a committee appointed by the Department of Building and Housing’s Chief Executive.
The EAG comprises a small group of leading engineers and remediation specialists, including representatives from the following organisations:
- Department of Building and Housing
- EQC
- BRANZ (incl. representing the NZS3604 Committee)
- GNS Science
- Structural Engineering Society (SESOC)
- NZ Society for Earthquake Engineering
- NZ Geotechnical Society
1. ‘Commercial’ buildings in this context are as per the definition in the Building Act for earthquake prone buildings – ie. other than residential buildings unless they are two or more storeys and contain three or more household units