CTV: Need for improvements after major quakes

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the CTV building collapse has heard the need for improvement in building inspections after major earthquakes.

The hearing is in its third week, and is looking into the collapse of the building which killed 115 people after the February 22, 2011 earthquake.

Peer reviewer Professor Nigel Priestley is continuing to be cross-examined this morning.

He says the job done by engineers in Christchurch in assessing buildings after the quakes was exceptionally good, but some improvements needed.

"There are certainly things that could be improved and that has been quite well recognised and I'm sure that there will be improvements in the assessment of buildings in future earthquakes."

Professor Priestly peer-reviewed the Department of Building and Housing report into the collapse, which suggests the building did not meet construction or design codes at the time it was built.

He says checks should have been done if there were any doubts about whether the design of the concrete columns in the building weren’t up to code.

"Not sure whether they actually complied or just slightly missed out, but that does I think again any designer who is designing at their absolute limit to a code, would suck his teeth a little bit and have a look further into it, I would hope."

Alan Reay Consultants designed and constructed the building in the 1980s and conducted a number of reviews in subsequent years.

In his opening address, the company's solicitor Huge Rennie QC told the hearing that the company's director Alan Reay, like many others, also wants to know why the CTV building collapsed.

"Dr Reay and ARCL have organised their representation in this hearing in order to best know the truth to what caused the collapse of the building"

"Engineers do not design buildings to fall down," he says.

"Dr Reay's evidence will be that he was not principally involved in the design of the project. This project undertaken by Mr David Harding, an experienced engineer who joined the practice with an interest in undertaking such work."

Alan Reay has told the Royal Commission into the CTV building collapse that he can't say whether it was well-designed.

The Christchurch-based director was asked by the Commission's legal team on whether he thought it was a well-designed building.

Alan Reay says he had to reserve his judgement on that.

He told the hearing he thought the building was designed that was typical at the time of when it was built.

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