Release of Code of Practice for the Design, Installation and Seismic restraint of Suspended Ceilings.
DISCUSSION LEADER: Dennis Prout, Technical Manager, Rondo representing the Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries (AWCI)
Workshop Purpose:The aim of this workshop is to present a summary of the new Code of Practice for Suspended Ceilingsand to assist the wider industry to lift the overall performance of suspended ceiling installation. The Suspended Ceilings and upcoming Interior Partitioning Code of Practice exist to improve the standard of construction and compliance with these vital non-structural elements. This workshop will touch on how the Code of Practice can be used throughout the design, consent build process and will also cover some good seismic design principles for non-structural elements.
The Code of Practice focuses on seismic restraints and separations for suspended ceilings and on the roles and responsibilities of those involved to ensure that suspended ceilings are designed and installed correctly. The co-ordination with designers and contractors working on other non-structural elements is also highlighted.
Workshop Description: Damage to suspended ceilings from recent earthquakes has highlighted the need for correct design and installation of suspended ceilings and other non-structural parts of buildings, such as partitions and building services. The failure of non-structural elements in an earthquake can injure or kill people and can prevent the uninterrupted use of buildings after an earthquake.
A huge amount of building damage in the Christchurch earthquakes was caused by non-structural elements which crashed through the ceilings during the earthquakes. The Seddon earthquakes also had a devastating impact on several commercial buildings especially the BNZ building in Wellington, which was closed for several months after the event. This was due to damage caused by non-structural elements including ceilings, partitions, HVAC and sprinklerequipment collapsing. Non-structural elements have often been thought of quite late in the process, with little consideration to how they might perform seismically or interact with each other in the event of a hazard.
The Suspended Ceiling Code of Practice was developed to provide consent authorities, architects, engineers, builders and specifiers with an industry approved document to demonstrate compliance with the New Zealand Building Code. The Code of Practice focuses on the safe design, installation and seismic restraint of suspended ceilings and aims to improve the overall standard of ceiling construction and compliance.
Launched by the Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries (AWCI) at its annual conference in October 2015, the new guidance document provides consistent technical and good practice information for non-structural elements. The AWCI wants to ensure that designers, builders and consent officials have technically consistent information during the design, consent and build process.
The Code of Practice has two primary purposes, limit injury to people during a seismic event or natural disaster; and to ensure a building can get up and running as quickly as possible following an event, thereby reducing remediation costs and minimizing loss of business. The project was co-funded by BRANZ and the AWCI. The new Code of Practice is available for free download via the AWCI website.