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Thread: How safe are houses made of bricks

  1. #1
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    Default How safe are houses made of bricks

    We are looking at buying a house. I've noticed new houses are built of bricks while old ones are made of wood. But how safe are brick houses compared to wooden houses in terms of earthquake resistance? I've seen footages of the Christchurch earthquake and most of the damaged infrastructures are made of bricks....
    Thanks for your comments.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by edwin5_9 View Post
    I've noticed new houses are built of bricks while old ones are made of wood. But how safe are brick houses compared to wooden houses in terms of earthquake resistance?
    Most houses are not built entirely of bricks but are timber framed houses with brick veneer or the like.
    However if designed and constructed properly the brick walls will have ties to form a safe structure.

  3. #3
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    Hi Ralf,

    Is it possible under the building code in NZ to build a brick and block cavity house or would this not be feasible for earthquake resistance?

    Am I right in thinking the brick buildings that collapsed in Christchurch are solid brick?

    Cheers,

    Tim

  4. #4
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    Whereabouts are you? Personally if I were in an earthquake prone area then I wouldn't build with brick at all - but then I've always liked wood anyway!

  5. #5
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    Know of 2 houses built here using that method and all good.

    From what we have seen most of the older buildings have not actually collapsed but have had their brick outer layers shaken off .

    Fairly sure that no lives where lost in residential houses, apart from when rocks fell on them.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Origems View Post
    Is it possible under the building code in NZ to build a brick and block cavity house or would this not be feasible for earthquake resistance?
    Am I right in thinking the brick buildings that collapsed in Christchurch are solid brick?
    What do you mean by block - timber or masonry? Generally it is possible to build structures like that anyhow. As I pointed out several times in similar threads you are also allowed to do more than the code requires. And this code might be changed due to the findings of these events. The technical evaluation has not been finished yet though.
    I personally don't know exactly the structure of those buildings that collapsed. But we have been told that the absence of ties within the salls and of proper connections to other structural elements most likely to be the reason for damage(s). This means it is not the material itself but the inadequate use of it by design or construction.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by James 1077 View Post
    Whereabouts are you? Personally if I were in an earthquake prone area then I wouldn't build with brick at all - but then I've always liked wood anyway!
    What is an earthquake prone area? All regions in NZ have a hazard factor. I think I addressed it already in one of the other breads. There is no region with '0.0' in this category.
    Also what do we actually really know about this? The factor for Canterbury will now have to be changed.

  8. #8
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    the majority of brick houses, chimneys and walls that went down were older than 1970, after that there was an earthquake bit added to the building code. the old brick houses had a very weak mortar (cement) mix so under the shaking the bricks didn't hold together. The new houses (and a few of the old) have a much better building spec. We have a timber and tin house and although timber is great it didn't stop the Bay windows parting company with the main house.

  9. #9
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    According to the three little pigs, bricks are the safest against wolves. Not sure about earthquakes.


    sorry...couldn't resist.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralf-nz View Post
    What do you mean by block - timber or masonry? Generally it is possible to build structures like that anyhow. As I pointed out several times in similar threads you are also allowed to do more than the code requires. And this code might be changed due to the findings of these events. The technical evaluation has not been finished yet though.
    I personally don't know exactly the structure of those buildings that collapsed. But we have been told that the absence of ties within the salls and of proper connections to other structural elements most likely to be the reason for damage(s). This means it is not the material itself but the inadequate use of it by design or construction.
    I'm referring to a concrete masonry internal skin tied to brick masonry external skin. This is the most popular construction type in the UK. I know that the majority of New Zealand homes are timber frame with cladding (often in brick as mentioned above) and I just wondered if building with two layers of masonry is possible under the code without being too uneconomic compared to timber frame. I assume the masonry structure being heavier and more rigid than timber would need adaptation to it's design for it to be as suitable for withstanding earthquakes and this could prove costly.

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