Codified seismic design
New Zealand has been a leader in earthquake design and construction for several decades. The Canterbury earthquakes highlighted the importance of continuing to advance our building control systems, develop earthquake-resilient technologies and improve the seismic performance of buildings in this country.
Hierarchy of New Zealand building controls. (BRANZ)
Building activity in New Zealand is controlled by the:
- Building Act 2004
- Building Regulations 1992
- Building Code (contained within Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 1992).
Collectively, these are known as building controls. They require all building work in New Zealand to be designed and constructed to minimum performance levels, which include known standards that ensure at least a minimum level of seismic resilience.
In this section: