PROJECT DESCRIPTION
WSP currently assist numerous central government and private clients with building portfolio seismic assessments. These portfolios typically encompass the entire country and include buildings ranging from Importance Level 2 (IL2) residential/commercial buildings,all the way through to IL4 critical infrastructure buildings.
These portfolio assessments are a great example of the relationships formed between WSP and our clients. Most of these assessments have been running for many years, with WSP acting as ‘valued advisor’ for the portfolios under consideration. A selection of portfolio assessments are presented in the following section.
CLIENT BRIEF/PROJECT CHALLENGES
Chorus: National Property Portfolio Seismic Assessments
WSP have been assisting Chorus for over 10 years with the provision of Initial and Detailed Seismic Assessments of their building stock across New Zealand. To date,more than 450 ISAs and DSAs have been completed. Many of the buildings are either located in remote/rugged locations which are difficult to access for the site inspection, or consist of older buildings from the immediate post-WW2 building boom. The sites are often critical for the efficient operation of the Chorus network, with higher importance levels to match.
Ministry of Justice: National Property Portfolio Seismic Assessments
Starting in 2012, WSP completed Initial and Detailed Seismic Assessments of the Ministry of Justice(MoJ) property portfolio of 92 buildings. The buildings range from single storey heritage listed brick buildings to multi-storey reinforced concrete structures.
The buildings are grouped based on their age and location before being visited by a WSP Structural Engineer who conducts either an ISA or DSA. All buildings are assessed based on IL3 criteria.
As seismic codes and guidelines have changed WSP has continued to provide the MoJ with updated/revised reports, as well as providing strengthening design and documentation for buildings where the % NBS rating was considered unacceptable. WSP continue to provide the MoJ with these services today.
Transpower: Critical Infrastructure Seismic Assessments
WSP has assisted Transpower with many projects over the years. The Critical Infrastructure engagement covers the assessment of their critical infrastructure network located around the country and is a continuation of similar work we have previously performed for Transpower.
WSP commenced with a desktop screening exercise of over 140 buildings which are critical either for the plant/equipment contained within, because they are heavily occupied or a combination of both. The desktop screening exercise, using in-house developed spreadsheets, filters the buildings that should proceed to the next assessment stage.
WSP recently commenced the next phase of assessments, with both Initial and Detailed Seismic Assessments being conducted during this next period. The project is ongoing.
OUR SOLUTION
Common to all the above projects has been the understanding that consistency is crucial, both for the assessment methodology and the reporting format. To this end WSP adopts a single control group Project Lead who can monitor and control the project and the same a Technical Review group who can perform QA.
OUTCOME/CLIENT BENEFITS
The assessments are performed from the Wellington office, using the same teams each time. This ensures the consistency of the assessments and reports.
