Abstract:
Numerous low to moderate magnitude earthquakes have been recorded across the state of New South Wales (NSW) since European settlement in 1788. Of these, significant damage was caused by the moderate M5.6 Newcastle earthquake in December 1989, causing the deaths of 13 people and extensive damage to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. The majority of the building structures listed by the Heritage Council of NSW on the State Heritage Register were constructed using URM before the development of earthquake design standard guidelines. Therefore, to help protect and preserve these invaluable historical assets, characterisation of the building typologies and materials adopted in their construction is needed in order to better understand their seismic performance and inform strategies for strengthening, where required, in a cost-effective way. This paper presents the results of an analysis of NSW heritage URM building stock listed on the State Heritage Register by the Heritage Council of NSW. The most significant parameters considered for characterisation are the URM materials, the number of stories, roof type (shapes and materials), construction year, geographic location and the past and current use for the buildings. Religious URM buildings are also classified according to their use and construction materials.