Seismic performance of vertical nonstructural components in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

A survey of 217 multistory buildings carried out following the 22 February 2011 Christchurch Earthquake further confirmed many of the known vulnerabilities vertical nonstructural components (VNSC) have to seismic movements. VNSC include facades, claddings, external infills, and internal partitions. In order to improve the seismic performance of such components, this paper will outline issues identified during damage reconnaissance following the Canterbury earthquake sequence. Displacement-based demands have been obtained using nonlinear response history analyses of a set of code-compliant, post-1990s reinforced concrete buildings when subjected to recorded ground motions of the major Canterbury earthquakes. The corresponding expected damage to VNSC based on informative guidance given in design codes and damage limits obtained experimentally are compared against the damage observed in post-earthquake assessments.