November 2010

So November sneaks quietly but quickly upon us and we find ourselves preparing for the Christmas onslaught.  Before we know it there will be Christmas carols on the radio and the usual truck-load of advertising material stuffed in our letterboxes! 

In this issue of Pushing the Boundaries we congratulate our very own David Fox for his "fellowship" and Carl gives us his take on the recent earthquake and the effect it may have on urban design locally.

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For he's a jolly good fellow!

David Fox – FNZIS, Christchurch

It was announced at the recent Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors that it’s members having considered the eminent service that David had provided in promoting professional surveying both in Christchurch and nationally, together with his overseas experience in Borneo (Malaysia) had conferred upon David the status of a “Fellow” of the Institute.          ...read more of this article

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How to rebuild our Communities?

The Chinese use two symbols to write the word ‘crisis’. One symbol means danger; the other opportunity.  In a crisis be aware of the danger but recognise the opportunity" - Richard Nixon 

Back in November 2008 we used this quote in our newsletter.  This was used at the time in respect of the impending recession however this could equally be applied to the recent Canterbury earthquake. So what opportunities has the earthquake produced?          ...read more of this article

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Movember

Some of the lads in the office are supporting Movember this year and we will feature their amazing moustache creations in our next issue. Here's a quick look at one of last years efforts (Michael Martin aka "Chopper").
 

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Michael attends earthquake lecture

So I got to hear a lecture by Dr Quigley, the earthquake geologist, the other night at the Town Hall. It was a fascinating talk describing causes of the earthquake, why it was felt differently and what’s happening with the aftershocks.

Three things stood out for me:

Port Hill Rocks
Dr Quigley showed photos of some rocks on the Port Hills that have literally jumped out of place. It looked like they would weigh up to a tonne and they have moved over a metre. They haven’t rolled, they have just been moved sideways!

Natural Frequency
Buildings can exhibit mechanical resonance where repeated regular shakes can resonate and be magnified (you might have head of this phenomenon with respect to bridges wobbling).         ...read more of this article

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