Structural Engineering Practice Advisories Published
Building Controls has developed a series of Practice Advisories for all those in the building industry.
Concerns have been raised, notably by John Scarry in his Open Letter to the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand (IPENZ), around the need to improve certain areas of structural engineering practice.
Investigations by the Building Industry Authority (now Building Controls) and IPENZ confirmed that some aspects of the design and construction of structural elements may not always have been carried out to an acceptable standard.
To address these concerns a series of Practice Advisories has been developed aimed at maintaining and, where necessary, improving the quality and consistency of design, building consent review, construction and inspection.
The first six Advisories to be published cover:
- the bending of steel reinforcement
- structural concepts and load paths
- cold-worked wire mesh
- connection design and detailing
- precast hollow-core floor assemblies
- general design and construction practice.
Hard-copy versions will be printed in early 2005 and further advice will be provided on how these can be obtained.
The Department has worked closely with SESOC (the structural technical interest group of IPENZ) in the development of these Advisories. We encourage all those in the industry to do what they can to improve structural performance in their particular area. Structural engineers, building officials and those involved in the construction process should take special note of these Practice Advisories.
Dr Andrew Cleland, Chief Executive of IPENZ, said the Advisories would assist in minimising the number of mistakes and would contribute to the goal of getting building design right first time.'Peer reviewed advice in a concise form will benefit structural engineers, but even the best advice cannot abrogate the responsibilities of the engineer to choose the most appropriate practice for a particular situation', he said.
Barry Davidson, President of SESOC, urges all SESOC members to support the content and spirit of the Advisories.
Dr David Hopkins, Senior Technical Adviser for the Department, said the Department is working actively to influence industry behaviour and practice.
'We are seeking to provide guidance for the steps needed to create Code-compliant buildings,' he said.
The Department will issue further Practice Advisories from time to time in response to emerging concerns on any aspect affecting the compliance of buildings with the Building Code.
Download Advisories