As New Zealand recovers from the 2011 earthquakes, building owners throughout the country are considering options for repairing damaged facilities and preparing intact facilities to withstand future seismic events.
Ceres provides owners a comprehensive design-build approach to seismic strengthening. Ceres has been active in the Christchurch earthquake recovery effort since immediately after the February 22, 2011 event, coordinating facade stabilization and establishing solid working relationships with local firms. In collaboration with the finest New Zealand and off-shore engineers, consultants and subcontractors, Ceres provides the entire spectrum of services required to complete timely, efficient seismic strengthening retrofit assessment, geotechnical testing, design options, cost estimating, construction documentation and professional construction management.
Our team of construction professionals combines extensive experience in seismic retrofit of buildings throughout high-seismic zone areas such as Northern California in the United States with on-the-ground familiarity of New Zealand construction practices acquired through assessing numerous buildings and homes in the earthquake’s aftermath. This immersion into local building materials, systems, soil conditions and other construction practices proves invaluable in developing practical retrofit recommendations.
Seismic retrofit construction includes:
- Shoring, bracing, cutting, removing, and replacing existing structural members
- Upgrade existing structure shear walls, steel horizontal truss system, braced steel framing, securing floor-to-wall connections, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wrap
- Exterior reinforcement, new exterior columns or buttressing, shear reinforcement, gunite/shotcrete application
- Micropile foundation
- Center coring
- Base isolation
- Artisan craftsmanship to replicate historic finishes
Landslide Protection
With seismic events as small as 4.0, landslides and/or falling rocks can occur, posing a threat to public safety and blocking important transit areas. As with basic protection from collapsing buildings, rapid mobilization of ballast-filled containers can be used to provide basic protection for containing falling rock and mitigating certain areas at landslide risk.
