Seismic assessments are essential when planning an upgrade or new project build. An assessment defines the building's performance criteria and necessary steps for a safe structural rebuild, including groundwater and soil assessments.

Seismic assessments are also a crucial requirement for building insurers and financiers, so as to evaluate earthquake risk before offering coverage or financing.

Territorial Authorities may also pinpoint buildings they deem to be potential hazards and subsequently request that owners conduct seismic assessments on those classified as earthquake-prone.

More about Initial Seismic Assessments (ISA).

An Initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) offers a preliminary overview of a building's likely performance during an earthquake, considering factors such as its construction type and age, the local seismicity, ground conditions, and its intended use.

Our team are well-versed in utilising the IEP to identify buildings that may be earthquake-prone and to make initial assessments of their seismic resilience. We have substantial experience with the IEP methodology, including:

• Reviewing all available property information
• Conducting a site visit for visual inspection
• Recording overall measurements if they are not already available

The resulting ISA report typically includes:

• A detailed description of the building
• An executive summary of key findings, including:
  • Identified structural weaknesses
  • The building's overall rating as a percentage of the New Building Standard (%NBS)
  • Relevant appendices
  • Assessment calculation sheets
  • Selected marked-up drawings

More about Detailed Seismic Assessments (DSA).

A building owner may then be recommended to undertake a Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA), which could eventually lead to the necessity for seismic strengthening of the building.

A DSA often follows an Initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) when additional detail or accuracy is needed, although each assessment can be conducted independently. Unlike the ISA, which provides a broad overview, a DSA is a more in-depth, quantitative evaluation aimed at determining a building's seismic performance with greater precision. This detailed assessment is intended to offer a clearer understanding of the building's capacity to endure an earthquake.

While an ISA is largely based on visual inspections and available records, a DSA involves more rigorous site testing, measurements, and in-depth analysis. It includes a thorough examination of the existing structural elements and systems of the building.

After reviewing all available property records and conducting a site inspection, a typical DSA report would include:

• Executive summary
• Explanation of the methodology used
• Detailed description of the structural bracing elements
• Summary of the assessment results
• Percentage of New Building Standard (%NBS) for critical structural members
• Overall seismic rating of the structure
• Preliminary scope of remedial work required to meet the building owner's target %NBS rating
• Rough cost estimates for achieving the desired %NBS rating

Get in contact to learn more.

If you're looking to engage a team for your seismic assessment, talk to us. We can run you through the necessary stages and answer any questions you might have. Find out more by heading to our contact page.

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