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The collapsed Canterbury Television building in Christchurch's CBD - Source: Supplied -
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Police are investigating the findings of a report into the collapse of the Canterbury Television Building which said it did not meet building standards.
The six-storey building claimed 115 lives when it was flattened in the February 22 quake and subsequently caught fire.
The CTV collapse was responsible for more than half of the victims of the 6.3 magnitude quake, which killed 184 people in total.
The Department of Building and Housing has been investigating the performance of a number of Christchurch buildings and the reasons why some of them failed.
A report published this afternoon found the CTV building did not comply with the building code when it was first built in 1986.
"There were three standards that were not met that applied in 1986 and I think the opportunity is there for that to be pursued further if there is good reason to do so," the Chief Executive of the Building and Housing Department, Katrina Bach said.
"What happens next is not for us to determine, and it's important to understand the CTV building was quite unique. A whole series of factors came together at a given time and it's improbable for those to exist in another building."
Police will now investigate the report on behalf of the department to see whether there is any criminal negligence in regards to the construction of the building.
Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess says a large volume of information has been handed to them.
"We will first seek legal advice on the report and also carry out our own preliminary assessment," he said.
"This advice and assessment will determine the next steps, which may include assigning the file to a lead investigator."
Answers at last
Brian Kennedy's wife Faye was killed in the CTV collapse. He told TV ONE's Close Up finally having answers is "heartening".
"Just a confirmation that what we were told by these experts was actually true," he said.
"I tried to keep away from hearing innuendo and anything like that. I think everyone who was there understood exactly what happened and why."
Kennedy said he has no room for anger anymore and just wants to know what went wrong.
"I think we are after an apology or an acknowledgement that an error has been made and I think most people would accept that."
Geoff Brien's wife Pam also died when the building collapsed. He says the report provides some answers.
"Hopefully they'll get to the bottom of this and someone will be held accountable, because the council shouldn't have let that building be in use since 1986," he said.
The building's owners Madras Equities won't comment on the report's findings, their lawyers say it would be inappropriate to do so until the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the earthquakes formally meets to hear evidence relating to the building's collapse.
The Institute of Structural Engineers is also looking into the report to see if there are any disciplinary measures it needs to take as a result.
Causes of collapse
The report has found the CTV structure failed to meet three 1986 building standards, and the building collapsed due to three causes.
They are: intense horizontal ground shaking, a lack of flexibility in its supporting columns making them brittle, and the asymmetrical layout of the shear or structural walls, making the building twist excessively.
David Hopkins, from the independent panel of experts convened for the report, said the building's supporting columns were vulnerable to the lateral movement created in the earthquake.
"Between 1982 and 1995 New Zealand's standards allowed use of non-ductile columns providing conditions were met, namely the columns wouldn't distort too much," he said.
"But in the opinion of the panel these conditions were not met for the CTV building."
He said the movement experienced in the February quake was unprecedented and caused the columns to move 90% more than the building code was prepared for.
He said its asymmetrical design also caused it to twist more than other buildings.
Hopkins said the most likely cause of the collapse would have been the failure of the eastern wall, one of its main supports, which subsequently put greater pressure on the columns beneath it.
Failing under the greater weight, the lower columns broke and the building collapsed from the bottom up.
Serious questions
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said the report will have been hard to hear for the victims' families.
"It also raises some serious questions about the structural integrity of the building," he said.
"We note the report has now been passed onto the New Zealand Police to look into further and will also help inform the Royal Commission of Inquiry."
Labour's Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel said reading the executive summary of the report "tore through my heart".
"To have a building built in the mid 1980s - it wasn't a time when there were less secure codes in place - and it just seems unrealistic, unbelievable that the codes weren't met in this instance," she told Close Up.
"This report is a very, very important one and how we respond to it - both the Government's response and the country's response to it - is going to be very important."
Dalziel said families of victims she has spoken to want accountability more than vengeance.
The Department of Building and Housing says it has taken onboard all the recommendations of the report and has also begun an investigation into how many buildings may have similar structural weaknesses.
So far they have identified 350 around the country that have non-ductile columns, and have examined 176 of them. The department hopes to have the remaining surveys completed by April.
The CTV building housed the TV station, a medical clinic and an English language school where 65 foreign students died. When the building fell its lift shaft was left standing, which caught fire.
The council green-stickered the CTV building after the September quake, meaning the building had been inspected and deemed safe for occupation.
A structural engineer was also commissioned by the property manager, who found no problems with the building's structural integrity but suggested work be done to repair superficial damage.
As well as the CTV building, investigations have also been held into the Pyne Gould Corporation, Forsyth Barr and Hotel Grand Chancellor.
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