Waikato Business News November/December 2022

10 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE
OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON
Just Received A Notice?
Earthquake-Prone Buildings
Hamilton City Council have just
issued notices to owners of buildings
deemed to be earthquake
prone (EPB Methodology), as is required by
government legislation under section 133AL
of the Building Act 2004. These notices are
required to be displayed in a prominent position
on the building.
Hamilton is currently classified as a
Medium Risk area and buildings below 34%
NBS (New Building Standard) are deemed
to be earthquake-prone. Under the Building
Act 2004 legislation, Councils around
New Zealand are required to identify earthquake-prone
buildings that fall within the
following criteria
A) Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
B) Pre-1976 buildings that are either
three or more storeys or 12 metres or greater
in height above the lowest ground level
(other than unreinforced masonry buildings
in Category A)
C) Pre-1935 buildings that are one or two
storeys (other than unreinforced masonry
buildings in Category A)
HOWEVER, if an owner has previously
provided a seismic or engineering report to
Hamilton City Council that confirms a building
is earthquake prone (below 34% NBS),
even if it does not fall within the above criteria,
then Hamilton City Council also has an
obligation to issue a notice relating it being
an Earthquake-Prone Building.
Timeframe to Remedy or Demolish
Buildings that that been identified by the
relevant authorities as Earthquake-Prone,
generally have 25 years from the date of the
notice or remedy to demolish.
HOWEVER, should it be deemed a Priority
Building, then an owner would only
have 12.5 years to remedy or demolish. A Priority
Building is defined under 133AE of the
Building Act 2004 and are buildings situated
on a Priority Route, such as those having the
potential to impede a transport route of strategic
importance (in terms of an emergency
response) if the building were to collapse
in an earthquake. This will apply to unreinforced
masonry buildings on main thoroughfares
and high pedestrian routes, along with
hospitals, emergency response services and
education facilities occupied by at least 20
people.
The onus of proof appears to lie with the
owner, as there will be buildings at 34% NBS
or marginally higher, where the relevant
local authority may seek a peer review of
the seismic report that they have been supplied
with, due to the figure potentially being
within a margin of error.
MBIE (Ministry of Building, Innovation
and Employment) now holds a register,
supplied by the local authority, of all of
Hamilton’s buildings deemed to be earthquake-prone:
epbr.building.govt.nz
There is also a very useful satellite map
which enables you to zoom in, which specifically
identifies buildings from a birds eye
view, including the address.
If one searches, it currently shows for
Hamilton (although this may increase if
more buildings are identified) the number of
such buildings within an area:
Claudelands 3
Frankton 58
Hamilton Central 51
Hamilton East 21
Hamilton Lake 9
Hillcrest 13
Te Rapa 4
We have also seen some Waikato towns
identify theirs:
Cambridge 42
Te Awamutu 20
Note: a number of other towns have not
as yet uploaded their register of earthquake-prone
buildings.
The fact that a building is deemed earthquake
prone, having a defined timeframe
to remedy or demolish, does not mean that
it must be immediately vacated and remain
so until this work is completed. There is
no legal requirement to close a building
because of a low NBS rating.
No need to vacate earthquake-prone
buildings, MBIE says
Stuff: Justin Wong, Jul 04 2022
MBIE published new seismic risk guidance
for buildings on Monday, saying earthquake-prone
structures don’t need to be
vacated. Instead, their owners should mitigate
earthquakes risks through emergency
planning and training.
MBIE’s Building Performance and Engineering
Manager Dr Dave Gittings said there
was a need to provide guidance on how to
interpret seismic assessments, and earthquakes
are low probability compared to
other risks.
He also said the NBS was not a predictor
of building failure in an earthquake, and
buildings with low NBS scores were not in
imminent danger.
Old becomes new
During the last two years members
of our practice have been fortunate
enough to make trips to Christchurch
and Dunedin, the kaupapa on each
occasion being to tour the architecture
of the city. One of the highlights for
me of both excursions was the clever
adaption and reuse of previously
neglected buildings.
In Christchurch, the
rebuild of the city has
seen the creation of
some award-winning new
architecture, but I was most
taken by the businesses that
had sprung up and created
compelling spaces in often
unassuming or simply
functional buildings. The
Welder, previously a group of
industrial warehouses used
by a welder, blacksmith and
engineer, is now an urban
oasis, home to professional
offices, boutique eateries and
food producers, a plant shop,
event space and yoga and
wellness studio, all focused
around a shared indoor
garden space. Architecture
practice Fabric has fitted out
their own former warehouse
with a surprising mix of old
oil drums, plants, a shipping
container, and the installation
of several glasshouses,
to create a space far more
inviting and cohesive than it
might sound.
More recently I read of
the example of Marian College,
which, having searched
nearly a decade for a new
home after the Christchurch
earthquakes, has found an
innovative solution by building
a new school in a former
Foodstuffs distribution
centre building. Two-storey
classroom blocks, as well as
gym and other facilities, will
be built within the existing
structure, while some parts
will be opened up to bring
in the outdoors and provide
natural light.
In Dunedin, heritage
architect Mark Mawdsley
gave a tour of the warehouse
precinct, where Dunedin
City Council, together with
enthusiastic building owners,
is working to revitalise
buildings that date to the
gold rush era when the city
was the largest and richest in
New Zealand. Concentrated
in one area, the buildings,
with a little TLC, have character
and personality that
spills over into the eateries,
bars, shops and offices that
now inhabit them, in a way
that new buildings seldom
do.
While locally we have
developers like Stark Property
providing excellent
examples of this kind of rejuvenation,
I remain hopeful
that more and more property
owners will take note of the
value to be created by investing
in existing buildings. As
well as the attractive character
of adaptive reuse and
cost-saving potential of using
an existing structure, there’s
good evidence that upgrading
environmental and
energy performance leads to
improved occupancy rates.
The initial carbon
LANDMARKS
BY PHIL MACKAY
Phil Mackay is Business
Devolpment Manger at
Hamilton-based PAUA,
Procuta Associates Urban +
Architecture
footprint is also significantly
reduced compared to a new
build. At a recent conference
architect Fiona Short of
Warren and Mahoney shared
an example of a project in
which the decision to retain
an existing concrete structure
had saved 1400 tonnes
of CO2 emissions per square
metre. In a carbon constrained
world that should
already be a consideration for
every building owner, though
it’s likely only a few years
until such carbon emissions
will carry a more tangible
cost imposed by government
or international obligations.
At a time when good staff
are more precious than ever
and encouraging teams back
to the office, at least for a
few days a week, is challenging,
creating interesting,
engaging and healthy spaces
to work seems like a sound
investment. Repurposing
an existing building offers
a cost- and carbon-effective
way to achieve this and an
opportunity to contribute
to the re-invigoration of our
city.
NAI Harcourts Hamilton
Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed
Agent REAA 2008
Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON
07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz
www.naiharcourts.co.nz