EARTHQUAKE DANGER

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 51, 1 March 1934, Page 7

EARTHQUAKE DANGER

BUILDING REGULATIONS

AN ARCHITECT'S VIEWS

The problem of framing regulations governing the construction of earthquakeresisting buildings was discussed by Mr. W. H. Gmnraer, president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, in his address at the annual meeting of the institute last evening. "Several years before the Nelson earthquake," said Mr. Gumnier, "one of our members, in the. only book published in this country on the subject of earthquakeresisting construction, and in various other writings, had drawn attention to the earthquake danger to buildings in New Zealand, and this institute had considered the matter carefully upon several occasions. It had urged the introduction of the necessary changes in structural design to eliminate or at least to reduce, as far as is possible, the risk to buildings with the consequent danger to human life. After the Nelson earthquake the institute sent a committee to make investigations in the stricken area with a view to learning any possible lessons from the damaged buildings. It issued a report and again urged the necessity of a full' discussion of the matter, and endeavoured to get some action taken by the bodies particularly concerned. After tlie Napier earthquake the institute again appointed a committee and published a report and recommendations for earthquake-resisting construction which has been made use'of and quoted extensively abroad. DEFECTS IN BILL. "The Government, however, in appointing the Government Committee at a later stage, ignored this institute until pressure was brought to bear^upon it, and then only one of our members was appointed to act upon that committee. It has been stated that this institute destroyed the Building Construction Bill. This is in any event attributing greater power to the institute than it really has. The institute's action with regard to the. Bill was not obstructive, but criticism of what it considered were- defects. . ■ -• "The Institute-of ■■■ --Architects •is in a special sense 'the-'guardian of the-building public in all that concerns building," said Mr. Gummer. "Whilst fully recognising the need of .wise .regulation in this important matter, it strongly holds that regulations should-, not .go beyond knowledge and should not be ofVsnch a" nature as to hamper building or add to its cost unnecessarily. Moreover, we have been staunch believers in the fact that the various local bodies possessed the nucleus at least of the necessary machinery for the proper framing and enforcing of building regulations: We congratulate the Government oii tbe fact that it is now framing a model set of bylaws along these lines. With these facts in mind I can pledge the institute to support the Government in this and in any measure "\ designed to advance safety in buildings, and I feel that it can rightly claim to be able to offer from the wide experience of its members valuable assistance in the framing ob model bylaws."