Title: Robust Buildings in Australia

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Publication: CIA

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Date: 2/28/2011

Abstract:
This paper grew out of a study-tour to Chicago in April 2006, a few months after publication of the NIST Study on the 911 attack on the World Trade Center. The five events precedent to this paper were: (1)Accidental domestic kitchen gas-stove explosion at Ronan Point, UK 1968 destroyed a 22 storey precast concrete apartment building; (2)The 1995 terrorist truck-bomb attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City; (3)The 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers, New York; (4)Fire 2005 35-storey Windsor Building, Madrid. Zero fatalities!; and (5) Fire 2005 50 storey Government Building, Venezuela. Zero fatalities! This paper deals with three issues: (1) Fire: is it an issue for structural engineers and should buildings be designed to burn-out without collapse even if sprinklers fail? (2) Ductile detailing: how earthquake detailing can drastically improve resistance to accidental/terrorist explosions. (3) Lost column analysis: a column, lost to accidental explosion, terrorist attack or earthquake, should not lead to collapse that is disproportionate/progressive. Australian standards have mentioned robustness since soon after the Ronan Point event. These rules, currently at AS/NZS1170.0s6 are bare-bones statements of principle. The present purpose is to put some flesh on them.