Seismic Restraint of Non-Structural Elements – Evolving Design Thinking

Abstract

Seismic Restraint of non-structural elements has received increased attention in the past decade within the New Zealand building industry. Clients and Project Managers are now often coupling Seismic Restraint design with the base build Structural Engineer’s scope, requiring an upskilling in this area for most. This paper describes some of the technical challenges we have uncovered in designing Seismic Restraint of non-structural elements falling outside of the Verification Methods of the New Zealand Building Code. We also summarise some of the key lessons we have learned about inserting this design service into the typical building design workflows. There are different ways to implement Seismic Restraint design – each with their own set of risks and opportunities, to be tailored to suit individual project needs and to achieve desired outcomes. We outline areas of the Seismic Restraint design practice we would like to see improved, as well as recommendations for research to improve the performance of non-structural elements in future earthquakes.