Publications
The Society has a variety of publications available. The Society's quarterly Bulletin is of interest to all those involved with earthquakes and their effects. The Society's Newsletters, Press Releases and Public Submissions are also being archived on this page.
All publications can be ordered from the Society's Executive Officer.
Members are often asked to comment on draft publications produced by The Society and affiliated organisations. Comments are currently being requested on the preliminary draft of Seismic Performance of Hollow Core Floor Systems: Guidelines for Design Assessment and Retrofit. Please visit the For Comment page for further details.
NZSEE Bulletin
The Society's quarterly Bulletin plays an important role in furthering the advancement of the science and practice of earthquake engineering, and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and expertise. ( ... Details and subscriptions)
Seismic Design of Storage Tanks
The November 2009 Recommendation for the Seismic Design of Storage Tanks provides guidance on the particular dynamic load effects during an earthquake of liquids stored in various forms of containment systems, or tanks. Structural analysis and design criteria for tanks constructed from steel, reinforced concrete and other materials are covered by the recommendations. Tank foundation investigation, evaluation, analysis and details are considered. A wide range of issues to do with the design detail are reviewed and covered by commentary, and the document contains design charts and design examples.
These Recommendations of a NZSEE Study Group on Seismic Design of Storage Tanks are a revision of the 1986 “Red Book” ( ... Details)
Building Safety Evaluation in a State of Emergency: Guidelines for Territorial Authorities
Important note:
Best practices for building safety evaluation evolve as lessons are learned from analysis of earthquake events. Following the initial publication of this document, there have been some changes in best practice as a result of the experience from the earthquakes in Padang (Indonesia), La Quilla (Italy) and Darfield (Canterbury).
These have led to changes to procedures which were used following the Darfield earthquake. That experience led to further changes being applied to building safety evaluation in the response to the Christchurch earthquake, 22 February, 2011.
These changes have yet to be incorporated into this document.
The NZSEE Building Safety Evaluation Guidelines (1.1 MB, PDF) provide guidance for Territorial Authority Building Control Managers to prepare for, implement and manage building structural safety evaluation activities after major earthquakes or other disaster events, and for engineers and others assisting with the process in the field. The document was produced with support from the Department of Building and Housing (DBH) and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM).
This August 2009 edition addresses comments on the December 2008 draft version that were reviewed by the Department of Building and Housing Reference Group, which includes representatives from several territorial authorities.
The Word format Appendices to the Guidelines (320 KB, DOC) contain forms and placards for territorial authorities to use by inserting their own contact details and attaching to their own response procedures.
Please address enquiries about the Guidelines to either the Society's Executive Officer or the project leader, Dave Brunsdon.
If the NZSEE Building Safety Evaluation Guidelines link is inaccessible, please try the following backup locations: NZSEE Backup Guidelines and Appendices; DBH Backup Guidelines and Appendices; or MCDEM Backup Guidelines and Appendices.
Assessment and Improvement of the Structural Performance of Buildings in Earthquake
Final with Corrigendum 1 now available. (PDF, 5.25 MB)
This recent NZSEE publication marks a new milestone in the understanding and practical assessment of older buildings and their likely behaviour when subject to earthquake.
The recent revision of the Building Act requires Territorial Authorities to develop policies on earthquake prone buildings in their areas of jurisdiction, defined in Section 131 of the Building Act, 2004. The Department of Building and Housing issued a Policy Guidance document for Territorial Authorities in June 2005 and its Appendix 2 refers to the grading scheme that has been presented and explained in this latest NZSEE publication.
Although not required by the Act, the grading scheme nevertheless provides a simple way of determining the earthquake risk grade of buildings for Territorial Authorities. Further, through its use it is likely to raise awareness of the risk from earthquake more generally. This in turn will enable market forces to work in a manner that will reduce earthquake risks as owners of adversely affected buildings improve their buildings over time to ensure that they remain commercially attractive.
NZSEE Conference Proceedings
The following proceedings for previous conferences are now available on this web site:
Newsletters
The NZSEE publishes a newsletter that is distributed to members by e-mail.
2010: Issue 1, March, Special, March
2009: Issue 1, March, Issue 2, June, Issue 3, September and Issue 4, December
2008: Issue 1, June, Issue 2, September and Issue 3, December
2007: Issue 1, August
2006: Issue 1, April
2005: Issue 1, April and Issue 2, October
2004: Issue 1, January
2002: Issue 3, February, Issue 4,March, Issue 6, September and Issue 7, December
2001: Issue 1, August and Issue 2, November
Other Publications
NZSEE study groups have developed published many state-of-the-art earthquake engineering guides for practitioners. Some of these are being updated and will be available here once complete. These include: