Facade damage assessment of multi-storey buildings in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch on the 22nd February 2011 caused widespread damage to the multi-storey buildings within Christchurch’s central business district (CBD). Damage to the facades of these buildings was a clear contributor to the overall building damage. This paper presents the damage assessment of the facade systems from a survey of 217 multi-storey buildings in the Christchurch CBD. The survey covers only buildings greater than three stories in height, excluding the majority of unreinforced masonry facades, of which damage has been well documented. Since a building can have more than one type of facade system, a total of 371 facade systems are surveyed. Observation of facade damage is discussed and is presented in terms of its performance level. Trends in facade performance are examined in relation the structural parameters such as construction age and height.