NZ Herald: Herald reporter Yvonne Tahana writes that the failure of high-rise stairwells during the Christchurch earthquake is concerning a structural engineering expert who believes they should be the subject of a high-level inquiry.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Stairs are particularly vulnerable unless they’re properly detailed to allow the sliding to occur.”
Professor Clifton said the Building Code requires that people be able to exit buildings in the event of a quake without specific reference to stairs.
“I’ve seen the search and rescue people picking through the stairs. There will be an inquiry and that’ll be one of the areas to focus on.”