The impacts of building code amendments in New Zealand : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Construction, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
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Date
2021
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Massey University
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Abstract
The performance of buildings during earthquake-related disasters in the New Zealand built environment indicates that the New Zealand building code needs improvement to ensure that impacts of future earthquakes would be minimised. The level of destruction has triggered building code, standards, and compliance document amendments to improve building resilience against natural disasters such as an earthquake and other related extreme loading conditions. The building code has been amended; however, using the revised building code, standards, and compliance documents comes with its unique challenges to the entire system. This thesis explores the impacts of building code amendments in New Zealand's built environment. Before this study, there is no previous research on the impacts of regular building code amendments, their advantages, unintended consequences, compliance and ways of improvements with adequate recommendations in New Zealand.
The thesis proposes to address the impacts of building code amendment by identifying and exploring the benefits, effects of innovative techniques, compliance and unintended consequences of building code amendment. The thesis also investigates the factors that contribute to building code compliance challenges, the amendment process, and developing a framework that allows for stakeholder's inclusiveness to increase the level of building code compliance.
This thesis involved a mixed research method comprising qualitative and quantitative research to answer the research questions that justify the objectives of this thesis. The mixed research methods include questionnaires, document analysis, interview with subject matter experts, narrative and integrative literature reviews. The study findings show that building code amendments in New Zealand have yielded significant results with emphasis on improved building resilience, increased compliance level, improved flexibility in design and construction, improved the quality of construction materials, increased professional training, and reduced corruption tendencies. Accordingly, the study addressed the efficacy of building code amendments as a measure to reduce the impact of disasters while increasing the built environment resilience.
The thesis revealed the effectiveness of consultation with all relevant stakeholders in building a regulatory system, free access to amended documents with support for a three years amendment cycle, as against the current biannual amendment practised in New Zealand. The unintended consequences of building code amendments are primarily influenced by (i) passive training of code users, (ii) bureaucracy, (iii) shortage of competent technical staff, and (iv) increased building code complexities.
The thesis developed a framework design based on identified parameters that assist in improving building code. The parameters consist of five action priority features such as regulation and administration, design and implementation, enforcement, compliance, and amendment process. The thesis developed an evidence-based framework that balances the diversity of stakeholder’s interest and enhances the building code improvement. The findings from the evidence-based framework validation show that it can facilitate a robust building code improvement with a well-defined area of priority while providing a better understanding of the code requirements and technical assistance to the code users.
The study provides useful recommendations that require an implementation to improve building resilience, performance-based building code, encourage building code compliance, reduce the unintentional consequences of building code amendment and help the stakeholders to comply with building code. The thesis demonstrates that the unforeseen negative impacts of building code amendment can be effectively handled through the intervention of the building regulatory authorities, proactive government response and collaboration with the stakeholders. This research is significant as it contributes to the theoretical understanding of building code, its amendment and regulatory system as a measure to reduce the impact of disasters. The study also contributes to the decision-makers within the building regulatory system as it informs the building policy regulators on the importance of systematic training of code users and balancing of the innovative techniques in performance-based building code with the safety measures in amending the New Zealand building code. The findings in this thesis may not be generalised but could be transferred globally to the nations that regularly review and updates their performance-based building code, standards and other related compliance documents within the range of New Zealand building code amendment interval.
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New Zealand, Building Act 2004, Building laws, Construction industry