An upgraded earthquake design tool for architecture and civil engineering teachers and students
Status
Completed: 12 October 2014
Project Details
A project, completed in 2014, to update the RESIST software to include earthquake code changes, enhance its effectiveness as a design and teaching tool, and make it accessible to all teachers and students. A collaboration of Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury and Unitec Institute of Technology.
Aims:
The main aims of the project were to:
- update the RESIST software so it complies with the requirements of the most recent NZ Standard for earthquake design
- enhance RESIST so that it is even more user-friendly and comprehensive in its seismic design capabilities
- make RESIST more accessible as a teaching and a design tool for staff and students.
Methodology:
The steps to achieve the project aims were to:
- survey architecture and building science students, who were currently using RESIST, on how RESIST might be enhanced
- enhance and improve the software
- retest the programme RESIST with students at VUW
- incorporate recommended changes and issue an updated version.
Team
Andrew Charleson
Project Leader
Victoria University of Wellington School of Architecture
Dr Bruce Deam
University of Canterbury
Dr Regan Potangaroa
Unitec Institute of TechnologyPeter Wood
Computer ConsultantStatus
Funding
$9,900.00 (excl GST)
Key Findings
The key findings from the project included:
- All the proposed technical and enhanced ease-of-use features included in the project goals have been realised.
- Students are introduced to RESIST, where it is also used as a teaching tool, in a lecture. After this brief introduction, they are able to use the programme in their own design projects. A huge benefit of the programme is that it enables students to quickly explore many different structural solutions before arriving at the one that integrates best with their architectural design concept.
- RESIST is unique internationally in that it enables users to design seismic resisting structures, like walls and beams and columns for buildings, without calculations. Users just need to make certain choices of design assumptions and RESIST does the rest.
- The programme enables students to very quickly get a feel for what structure is required in a given building, and to explore the various factors that affect the size of that structure, such as increased floor plan dimensions and weights of construction. Since students who use RESIST can design structural walls, moment frames and four different types of cross-braced frames, they become familiar with all principal lateral load resisting systems.
Key Recommendations
The key recommendations from the project were:
Future use of RESIST software | RESIST software has been upgraded and allows tertiary students and teachers to design buildings, vary the structures within them; then simulate the effects on them of wind and earthquakes. It will be of interest to those involved in building, engineering and architecture subjects.
Availability of the programme | The RESIST programme is publicly available to all students from the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering website
RESIST - New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Inc.
Future development of RESIST software | There are no recommendations for future development at this stage although the project team will continue to attend to any issues users raise and update the software as often as required.
A research report prepared by Andrew Charleson.
(PDF, 1.0 MB, 9-pages).
- 28 September 2014