Structural engineering practice

Wallchart guide to reinforcing steel in New Zealand

The wallchart guide to reinforcing steel in New Zealand, published in December 2005, is a slightly revised version of the wallchart published in June 2005 by the Department of Building and Housing called Reinforcing steel in New Zealand - A quick guide for designers, building consent authorities and contractors.

Practice advisories

The safety of structures is vital to all communities. The Department has developed these structural practice advisories aimed at maintaining and, where necessary, improving the quality and consistency of design, building consent review, construction and inspection.

They have been published in response to concerns raised around the need to improve areas of structural engineering practice. (See Building Controls Update No. 5 for the background to this.) Investigations confirmed concerns that some particular aspects of the design and construction of structural elements may not always have been carried out to an acceptable standard. These practices range from ensuring basic structural concepts such as adequate load paths to detailing of connections in steel structures. Such unacceptable practices have the potential to seriously affect structural performance

Practice Advisories 1-6 were first published by the Department on 23 December 2004. Amended versions were issued in June 2005. They include:

• Practice Advisory 1: Bend the bar but not the rules - bending of steel reinforcement must follow New Zealand Standard procedures
• Practice Advisory 2: Pay attention to the basics! - Structural concepts and load paths
• Practice Advisory 3: Beware of limitations - Cold-worked wire mesh
• Practice Advisory 4: Do sweat the 'small' stuff - Connection design and detailing
• Practice Advisory 5: Allow for movement - Precast hollow-core floor assemblies
• Practice Advisory 6: Achieve best practice - every step of the way - General design and construction practice.

Practice Advisory 7: Use with care - Grade 500E reinforcing steel in New Zealand, covering recommended practice for source of supply, method of manufacture and identification of grade 500E steel reinforcement, was published by the Department in July 2005.

Concerns were raised in 2003 that Grade 500E reinforcing steel might not be fit for its purpose as reinforcing when subject to design earthquake loading in ductile reinforced concrete structures. The Department responded by investigating the concerns and the detailed issues behind them, producing a Report on grade 500E steel reinforcement. For more information on the report, see Building Controls Update No.27.