Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Earthquake hazard was not fully recognised in Australian building design until the mid-1990s. This oversight has resulted in a legacy of vulnerable buildings that can be readily damaged in moderate to severe Australian earthquakes. In particular, older unreinforced masonry buildings are particularly vulnerable and very common in the centres of our large cities and towns with significant heritage value. What can be done to cost-effectively address the risk they represent to people in the community and to protect these valued assets from future damaging earthquakes? With a focus on the Heritage town of York and the state capital of Melbourne, strategies have been examined as to effectiveness which has included a virtual retrofit to progressively reduce damage, injury, economic losses and emergency management logistics. Communication products derived from this work are described and initiatives to apply them in other Australian communities highlighted.
Earthquake hazard was not fully recognised in Australian building design until the mid-1990s. This oversight has resulted in a legacy of vulnerable buildings that can be readily damaged in moderate to severe Australian earthquakes. In particular, older unreinforced masonry buildings are particularly vulnerable and very common in the centres of our large cities and towns with significant heritage value. What can be done to cost-effectively address the risk they represent to people in the community and to protect these valued assets from future damaging earthquakes? With a focus on the Heritage town of York and the state capital of Melbourne, strategies have been examined as to effectiveness which has included a virtual retrofit to progressively reduce damage, injury, economic losses and emergency management logistics. Communication products derived from this work are described and initiatives to apply them in other Australian communities highlighted.
