Proposed tower ‘safe place’

Press, 14 May 1987, Page 1

Proposed tower ‘safe place’

The proposed Victoria Square tourist tower could be the safest place to be in a natural disaster, says visiting civil engineer, Dr Anthony Flint. Dr Flint, a London-based engineer, told a news media conference last ’ evening that the structural planning to go lnto the tower — which has raised the ire of concerned citizens because of its siting — could “quite probably be the safest place to

be in the event of a natural disaster 99 He drew a . comparison with the Darwin disaster of 1974 where a cyclone destroyed the city. J Only 5 per cent of engineered buildings were damaged whereas almost all non-engineered buildings, private homes, and the like were destroyed. Dr Flint believed a structure like the tower would be

stringently designed to withstand such disasters. He has observed no structurally unsound buildings in Christchurch during his visit. But in New Zealand commercial buildings could have more money spent bn quality, construction supervision, and standards and less on. materials, he said. People became more concerned about structural safety

after a disaster and the recent Bay of Plenty earthquakes had made the public more aware of building safety. ■ • It was prudent to ensure a higher . standard of safety, in buildings where people were more likely to be during a disaster. Dr Flint advocated stronger and’ better-designed private homes. This would, how-, ever, lead to greater construction costs. '-in;: