NEWS

March 2018
Welcome to the Autumn 2018 edition of SESOC NEWS. For general
information regarding the New Zealand Structural Engineering Society
(SESOC) and for committee contact details refer www.sesoc.org.nz
IN THIS ISSUE

President’s Autumn Message

SESOC Annual General Meeting
SESOC 30th Anniversary Dinner
SESOC Management Committee Planning Day
Engineering New Zealand: SESOC members recognised
Professor Rover Tremblay SESOC regional roadshow
Upcoming Regional Conferences
IStructE News
Assessment of Precast Concrete Floor and Diaphragm Capacity – Status Update
QuakeStar
The Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings: Sections C5 and C10
Flange Hung Double Tees: Loop Bar Detail
SESOC Interim Design Guidelines
Low Rise Building Design
Body of Knowledge and Skills
Reconstructing Christchurch: Quake Centre Report
Lee Zones in New Zealand: Use of NZS3604 vs 1170:2
Software Report
SESOC Conference 2017
Contributions to SESOC Journal
Regional Training Courses

President’s Autumn Message

Early 2018 has seen the SESOC Management Committee coming together to plan for the year ahead,
with a comprehensive number of initiatives underway. SESOC were delighted to have David Whittaker
representing NZSEE and Tony Fairclough representing NZGS also participating in our planning,
demonstrating the strong collaboration between our three technical societies. Representatives from
Engineering New Zealand and from MBIE were also present, ensuring that all parties were abreast of
ongoing developments in the structural engineering community.
This newsletter reports on a number of initiatives from around the regions, and it is encouraging to
have received requests from members to consider the formation of new regional groups in Hawke’s
Bay and Tauranga. Plans are also well underway for a badly-needed revamp of the SESOC website, and
for technical seminars to be delivered via regional roadshows to be held later in the year.
As President I am interested to know whether there is an interest amongst the SESOC membership for
the development of an ‘Emerging Professionals’ committee to specifically consider initiatives targeted
at members who are relatively new to the structural engineering profession, so please contact the
SESOC Executive Officer (executiveofficer@sesoc.org.nz) if you would like to assist with these plans.
SESOC Annual General Meeting
SESOC held its AGM on 21 February at the University of Auckland. The Society continues to have sound
financial reserves, and membership numbers are steadily rising. During the meeting Immediate Past
President Paul Campbell was presented with a certificate of Life Membership to SESOC in recognition
of his tireless efforts as SESOC President over the last few years, which has included leading the Society
during the response to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes as well as the ongoing recovery from the earlier
Canterbury earthquakes. The Management Committee further takes this opportunity to thank Paul for
his continued hard work in support of SESOC and the Structural Engineering profession in New
Zealand.

At the AGM the following members were elected onto the 2018 Management Committee: Jason
Ingham, Geoff Bird, Paul Campbell, Michelle Grant, Hamish McKenzie, Stephen Hicks, and John Scarry.
In addition, Yogesh Kumar and Nic Brooke were co-opted onto the 2018 Management Committee so
that they may continue their work on their current portfolios.
During the afternoon of 21 February a SESOC/ASG tour of the University of Auckland structural testing
laboratories at the Newmarket campus was conducted, with approximately 20 members attending.
Directly following the SESOC AGM there was a Special General Meeting to accept amendments to the
Society’s rules, with the purpose of the SGM being the disestablishment of the position of Secretary,
establishment of the position of Vice President, establishment of the position of Executive Officer,
updating the signatory requirements for the SESOC bank accounts, and correcting minor
inconsistencies and punctuation errors. Following the SGM there was a combined SESOC/ASG panel
discussion titled “Telling it like it really is – Three past SESOC presidents debate the curly issues”,
chaired by Jason Ingham and with the invited panellists being Barry Davidson, John Hare, and Paul
Campbell.

SESOC 30th Anniversary Dinner

2018 represents the 30th anniversary of SESOC and the Management Committee wish to recognise and
document the success of the Society since its conception. This exercise began with a 30th Anniversary
Dinner held in Auckland on the evening of 21 February 2018, where SESOC past-presidents and several
Life Members were able to come together and share their memories and reflections of how the Society
began, and the efforts that went into growing the membership numbers such that SESOC is now the
largest technical engineering society in the country. Over the coming year these recollections will be
compiled into a set of aural histories of the first 30 years of the Society.
Amongst the guests were a number of Past presidents:
Barry Brown 1998 - 1990
Ian Billings 1991-1993
Tony Gibson 1994-1996
Trevor Robertson 1997-1999
Barry Davidson 2000-2005
Ashley Smith 2006-2008
Mark Batchelar 2009-2010
John Hare 2011-2013
Paul Campbell 2014-2016

SESOC Management Committee Planning Day

The SESOC Management Committee held a Planning and Strategy Day on 22nd February 2017. The
session was intended to develop the plans for the society for the coming years and to identify
initiatives to strengthen the Structural Engineering profession in New Zealand and support the
Society’s members.
Key items arising from the planning day included:
• Member Survey Feedback. The committee received very comprehensive feedback
from the recently conducted membership survey. The committee is highly appreciative
of the feedback received, which is vital to ensure that SESOC provides strong support
to our members and is responsive to their requirements. The Management Committee
is currently working through the responses and will identify any key initiatives to
develop over the coming year

• Professional Practice. SESOC plans to document examples of good practice and to

deliver a roadshow series on good practice for emerging professionals.

• SESOC Membership. SESOC wants to grow and strengthen its membership, to

communicate with members and utilise members’ skills and energy. SESOC plans to
explore how to contribute to the transition of students to emerging professionals.

• Regional Structural Groups. SESOC intends to provide better engagement with the
regional groups and to provide facilities such as webcasts of presentations for wider
 national coverage.

• International Linkages. SESOC is engaging more with international colleague

organisations, in particular IStructE and SEAOC, to exchange technical information and
contribute to newsletters and conferences.

• Mentoring. SESOC will be commencing mentoring sessions with a pilot session to be

held with the Auckland Structural Group, providing opportunities for face-to-face
engagement with senior engineers. This initiative follows on from the successful and
well-received mentoring sessions held at last year’s SESOC Conference.

Engineering New Zealand: SESOC members recognised

The newest class of Engineering New Zealand Fellows has been recently announced. Notably, Peter
Smith was awarded Distinguished Fellowship and Richard Holyoake and Phil Gaby were awarded
Fellowship – all of whom are SESOC members.
The announcement took place at the Fellowship dinner in Wellington on 16 March, where three
Distinguished Fellows and 17 Fellows were announced. Additionally, the Gold Medal President’s
Award, Silver Medal President’s Award and McLean Citation were also awarded during the evening.
Peter Smith, President of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering; Bob Hodgson,
Professor, Massey University; and Janis Swan, Emeritus Professor at the University of Waikato were
named as Distinguished Fellows, the highest level of membership for members.
The President’s Gold medal was awarded to Simon Lovatt, the Director, Research and Enterprise at the
University of Waikato. The President’s Silver medal went to Campbell Dawson, who as President of
ENSOC has worked to rebuild its credibility and reputation, and the McLean Citation was awarded to
Sarah Sinclair, Chief Engineer for Auckland Council.
The full list of Fellows, including bios for each of the winners, can be found on the EngNZ
website: https://www.engineeringnz.org/news-insights/outstanding-engineers-recognised/

Professor Robert Tremblay SESOC regional roadshow

Robert Tremblay is a Professor of Structural Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Earthquake
Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, Canada. Before undertaking his doctoral studies, Professor
Tremblay worked for 10 years in industry and so combines an impressive academic understanding of
the seismic performance of steel structures with the need to produce practical and cost-effective
solutions for enhanced seismic resilience.
Robert visited New Zealand in association with the STESSA 2018 Conference and delivered
presentations to the SESOC Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago Regional
Groups following the STESSA conference. Robert’s presentation was titled “Seismic Design of Single-
Storey Steel Buildings with Vertical Bracing and Steel Roof Deck Diaphragms” and addressed the
behaviour and design of steel roof deck diaphragms, including a discussion on a design approach
considering inelastic diaphragm response. The impact of the roof diaphragm flexibility on the building
seismic response was presented, with focus on the building fundamental period and the amplification
of diaphragm forces and deflections due to higher mode effects.
Robert provided design examples based on current Canadian code provisions and outlined research
projects on the use of ductile brace fuses and rocking braced frames to reduce the force demand on
roof diaphragms.
Upcoming Regional Conferences
Members’ attention is drawn to the following conferences scheduled for 2018:
NZSEE Annual Technical Conference, on 13 – 15 April 2018, Auckland

New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary with
the Annual Technical Conference to be held in Auckland on 13 – 15 April 2018.
This year, in recognition of this significant milestone for the Society, they have chosen the theme
of “From Inangahua to Kaikoura and Beyond”. The conference will be looking back to look to the
future: both by recognising and celebrating the considerable advances in earthquake engineering
research and practice achieved over the past 50 years; and looking to the future as to where
earthquake engineering research and practice may lead in the next 50 years, with keynote addresses
and special sessions on the emerging challenges facing earthquake engineering.
The technical programme is planned to include case studies, emerging and innovative uses of new
technologies, research developments in earthquake engineering, recent advances in geotechnical
design and emerging developments in resilience and low damage design.
Further details on the conference can be found here

Australasian Structural Engineering Conference, 25-28 September 2018, Adelaide

ASEC is an international conference organised by Engineers Australia attracting high calibre papers and
presenters in the field of structural engineering.
The theme for the conference will cover a diverse range of topics of relevance to practicing structural
engineers, students, academics, researchers and industry specialist providers. National and
International Keynote speakers invited will inspire and provide invaluable knowledge and inspiration
on modern materials/methods/innovation and the future direction of engineering. Topics expanding
the conference theme of interest to delegates are listed below:
• Challenging the normal
• Modern Methods and Materials
• Engineering for Extreme Events
• Forensic Engineering – Lessons from failure or success
• The Large – The Complex
• Structural Health Monitoring
For more information about the conference including the format and the venue, please follow this link
IStructE News
IStructE 2018 President
SESOC is pleased to welcome Faith Wainwright as the 2018 IStructE President, Faith
Wainwright. A video of her inaugural address: "Working Together for a Creative and
Collaborative Future" can be found here. Faith Wainwright is a Director of Arup. Her
career has included the structural design of many award-winning buildings. Faith
has a passion for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and currently leads Arup’s
Skills Networks.

IStructE Annual Awards 2018

Members are reminded that entries are open for the 2018 IStructE Annual Awards. New Zealand has
typically done well over the years including one award and two commendations for NZ projects last
year. Entries close on 16th April.

Assessment of Precast Concrete Floor and Diaphragm Capacity – Status Update

Testing and experience in recent earthquakes has shown that the assessment of the seismic behaviour
of precast floor systems can be complex and associated with significant uncertainty, particularly when
the detailing predates current code requirements. Caution is warranted when assessing these floor
systems and they should be expected to often be the element limiting the capacity of the building and
sometimes to relatively low levels.
Consideration of capacity should include seating adequacy and compatibility with the superstructure,
particularly deflections arising from beam rotations, beam elongation and frame dilatency.
Guidelines for the seismic assessment of precast flooring are currently being worked on by an industry
group. While the group is looking at precast floor systems generally, particular concern is noted for
hollowcore type floors.
In advance of the guidance coming out the best available literature is:
1. Assessment of hollowcore-floors for seismic performance. Link here
2. Seismic Performance of Hollow Core Floor Systems Guidelines for Design Assessment and
Retrofit. Link here

QuakeStar
The SESOC Management Committee recently met with a representative from QuakeStar. QuakeStar is
a rating scheme for New Zealand buildings with assessment on the basis of earthquake performance in
terms of: safety; damage; and repair time. Further information can be found on the QuakeStar
website. SESOC members who wish to volunteer to trial the QuakeStar worksheets are encouraged to
make contact with QuakeStar personnel via their website (Contact Quakestar). The worksheets are
available on the QuakeStar website.

The Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings: Sections C5 and C10

An erratum has been published on the Eq-assess website on 26th March 2018. This has corrections to
Section C5 – concrete buildings, which were reviewed in a public consultation earlier this year. The
process of updating the C5 document is ongoing and members will be informed on the progress of this.
Section C10 is also under review following feedback from the NZSEE seminar series last year.
The Seismic Assessment of Existing Buildings – Technical Guidelines for Engineering Assessments are
available free of charge from the Eq-assess website.
Flange Hung Double Tees: Loop Bar Detail
MBIE is in the process of finalising its position on the proposed ban of the Loop Bar detail following the
end of the Consultation period in November 2017. An announcement is expected shortly. SESOC has
previously published a working paper on the Loop Bar detail and its position remains that the Loop Bar
detail should not be used.

SESOC Interim Design Guidelines

The SESOC Interim Design Guidance: Design of conventional structural systems published following the
Christchurch Earthquakes 2011 are currently under review. Many of the recommendations have
already been incorporated into the updated Codes of Practice either issued or in consultation stage.
The Kaikoura earthquake and feedback from building inspections in Wellington has also prompted
further need for review. An updated edition is expected to be issued in early to mid-2018.

Low Rise Building Design

An initiative is currently underway between SESOC, NZCS and SCNZ to provide a comprehensive
example design for a low rise commercial structure that has many of the features found in building
across New Zealand. It is intended to include analysis, design features report, calculations and
drawings.
Once completed, the worked example will be launched in a seminar series for members across the
country.

Body of Knowledge and Skills

SESOC are currently preparing a Structural Engineering Body of Knowledge and Skills (BOKS). This will
define the core knowledge and skills that a Chartered Professional Engineer (Structural) is expected to
have in order to competently investigate, design and supervise the construction of structural works in
New Zealand. The BOKS is intended to complement and inform the Chartered Professional Engineer
assessment process.
The document is currently under internal review before forwarding to Engineering New Zealand with
recommendations that the BOKS be used to inform the competence assessment process used by the
Registration Authority to assess a Chartered Professional Engineer (Structural).

Reconstructing Christchurch: Quake Centre Report

Quake Centre have completed their report: “RECONSTRUCTING CHRISTCHURCH: A Seismic Shift in
Building Structural Systems”, which can be found at the Quake Centre website.
This report draws on the insights of many of our Christchurch and NZ colleagues into some of the
mechanisms that can dictate structural engineering decisions during the post-earthquake
reconstruction of a modern city. While the Christchurch experience may be unique today, it could
repeat itself in other similarly developed cities in NZ or worldwide.
Lee Zones in New Zealand: Use of NZS3604 vs 1170:2
Both AS/NZS1170 and NZS3604 have maps identifying Lee Zones in New Zealand. In 2012, the Lee
Zone map in AS/NZS1170.2 was updated to include three Lee Zones affecting the Wairarapa
region. NZS3604:2011 was not updated to include these Lee Zones. Furthermore, it is also noted that
the Lee Zones for the South Island do not always correlate with those shown in AS/NZS1170.2.
Designers should be aware of these discrepancies between Lee Zones when looking at structures in
areas potentially affected. Attention is also drawn to the wording in NZS1170.2 about lee zones.
Designers are advised not to rely on very small scale maps when assessing Lee Zone affects but should
consider in detail the topography at the project location and assess compliance with the written
requirements of the standard.

Software Report
MemDes: SESOC branded MemDes has been
available for download since June 2017.
Functionality includes:
• Standard Windows-style
distribution/installation
• SESOC registration/activation screens; SESOC
branding, along with standard copyright and
disclaimer notices
• Compatibility with Windows 10
• Updated user manual
• Minor enhancements to the user interface
• Indication of section availability, particularly
for hollow sections

MemDes Plus: A major enhancement to MemDes is now complete and is currently undergoing
verification. Formal release is expected in the New Year. It will include the provision of a module to
provide single span beam analysis capacity and serviceability checks. This will use the existing
MemDes capability to check each segment along the beam.
GenCol + Shearwall Design: Develop is progressing to provide an additional module to provide
reinforced concrete shearwall design capability to GenCol. This capability will be to NZS 3101, with
focus on the shear, confinement and transverse steel detailing provisions, for rectangular shearwalls.
This enhancement will provide a NZ code based design tool for use across the industry. Expeced
release is mid-2018.

SESOC Conference 2017

A final word on last year’s SESOC conference. For those who missed or interested to hear the
presentations from some of the keynote speakers, the following are available on You Tube:
• Engineering New Zealand Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene’s inspirational opening
address can be found here
• The presentations from last year’s IStructE President, Ian Firth, and current Chief
Executive, Martin Powell, can be found at the following link
A copy of the Conference papers can be downloaded here

Contributions to SESOC Journal

Members are reminded that articles and contributions to the SESOC journal are welcomed. If you have
a project or topic which you feel would be of interest to members or worthy of publicity please contact
the magazine editor, Stuart Hobbs, at editor@sesoc.org.nz with a brief synopsis of the proposed article

Regional Training Courses

Many training courses run in the main centres do not make it to the regions or are cancelled due to
insufficient attendees. Provided there are sufficient number of committed attendees (typically greater
than 20) then it may be possible to add in additional locations. If you become aware of a training
course that you think may of interest to engineers locally in your region, please contact your local
SESOC representative.