Seismic capacity increased
at 600 mm centres in both directions
diaphragms designed for elastic seismic actions (μ = 1, Sp = 1)
Egis’ remit included the University’s heritage-listed Consumer and Applied Science (CApSc) building, transforming its seismic resilience through targeted structural interventions.
The project involved seismic upgrading of a circa 1918 unreinforced masonry (URM) building to improve safety, durability, and heritage preservation, completed in October 2025. The scope included comprehensive assessment, strengthening, and staged delivery, balancing heritage conservation with modern seismic standards.
A detailed seismic assessment identified critical weaknesses: limited out-of-plane capacity of exterior walls, poor interlock between masonry wythes, low in-plane shear capacity, inadequate diaphragms, and weak internal loadbearing walls. The building’s capacity was less than 15% of New Building Standard (%NBS), indicating high earthquake risk.
The main interventions included consolidating exterior walls with grout and stainless-steel ties to enhance composite action, installing internal post-tensioned bars and external cables to increase strength, ductility, and self-centring capacity, and replacing internal clay brick walls with reinforced concrete masonry for improved load capacity and redundancy. The floor and roof diaphragms were strengthened with new wall fixings and plywood and steel ties to ensure effective seismic force distribution and reliable load paths. Parapets were reinforced to prevent out-of-plane failure, and roof trusses were strengthened for stability.
A staged approach was adopted, with the building fully scaffolded and encapsulated to protect heritage fabric and environmental exposure during the works. Collaboration between engineers, architects, and contractors ensured that the strengthening measures and seismic performance was not compromised during subsequent fit-out phases.
Post-works, the building’s seismic capacity increased significantly, with the structure exceeding 67%NBS, elimination of collapse mechanisms, improved shear capacity, and enhanced ductility and redundancy.
