Earthquake strengthening can be a tool for regeneration
Many towns and cities are confronted with the problem of earthquake strengthening demands without loss to their heritage and local economies. Our work across most major regional cities and towns indicates that while many find the problem intractable, some are delivering impressive results. What can we learn from them? The problem is that the cost of earthquake strengthening demands rentals higher than market will bear. Total building refurbishment costs can be significant and add to this up to $200/m2 just for earthquake strengthening a double storey structure. To compound this, many centres have low market demand, while building costs may be broadly similar, rentals for smaller centres are significantly lower than for their big city counterparts. However, where commercial land is cheap, the economics can be made to support investment in old buildings over new – if the right strategies are applied. Here is a short précis of those strategies:
- Use a multi-faceted approach
- Set a strategic framework
- Inform planning assumptions with development economics
- Offer council financial support
- Use design ingenuity
- Work towards sensible earthquake strengthening targets
- Seek out the latest engineering innovation
- Be resourceful
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