Abstract
This paper focuses on the structural behaviour and types of failure of churches located in the general Canterbury area following the Darfield earthquake of September 04, 2010. Given the variability in architectural styles, structural systems and properties of underlying soils, different patterns of damage were identified including out-of-plane gable failures, collapse of bell towers and cracking due to liquefaction and ground settlement.
 An architectural and historical landmark of Christchurch, the Christchurch Cathedral, suffered insignificant damage during the earthquake mainly because of its seismic retrofitting during 2006-2007. However many other church structures required retrofitting and supporting measures to avoid additional damage.
Highlights
Like similar buildings designed for large assembly of communities and places of worship, churches are representative of the architectural character of a community
Some intact churches are just a block away from others that suffered significant damage. This variability can be attributed to the differences in architectural styles, structural systems, and the characteristics of local ground excitations
The strength and properties of the underlying soils proved to have a significant impact to the structure‟s response
Summary
This paper focuses on the structural behaviour and types of failure of churches located in the general Canterbury area following the Darfield earthquake of September 04, 2010. Given the variability in architectural styles, structural systems and properties of underlying soils, different patterns of damage were identified including out-of-plane gable failures, collapse of bell towers and cracking due to liquefaction and ground settlement. An architectural and historical landmark of Christchurch, the Christchurch Cathedral, suffered insignificant damage during the earthquake mainly because of its seismic retrofitting during 2006-2007. Many other church structures required retrofitting and supporting measures to avoid additional damage
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