Warehouse Review Feb2023
Warehouse Review Feb2023
Warehouse Review Feb2023
FINDINGS REPORT
February 2023
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following the Masterton buildings inquiry, Engineering New Zealand
Te Ao Rangahau commissioned a review of 20 warehouses across
New Zealand to understand if issues of poor design quality observed
in the Masterton cases were seen elsewhere.
The results of the Warehouse Review suggest issues relating to poor design and internal quality control seen in the
Masterton buildings are not isolated. Some design engineers are incorrectly designing or leaving out critical details
in their design of warehouses; for example the restraint of large concrete panels. Inadequate restraint of a panel may
present a life safety risk if it were to collapse in an earthquake.
As a result of this review, Engineering New Zealand will partner with collaborating technical societies and other
relevant organisations to provide guidance for better engineering practice as it relates to warehouse design.
We will work with stakeholders to disseminate the guidance and educate engineers.
This report is intended for engineers and building consent authorities. If you own a warehouse and have questions
about its design, please contact a Chartered Professional Engineer for review.
CONTENTS
Executive summary 2
Introduction 4
Approach 5
Results 6
Discussion 7
Conclusion 8
Recommendation 8
Next steps 8
Appendix 1: Review template 9
Appendix 2: Design examples 10
1. Foundation design 14
2. Baseplate detailing 15
3. Concrete panel anchorage 17
4. Panel restraint from falling 18
5. Knee detailing 20
6. Splice 22
7. Bracing detail 23
8. Consideration of load path 25
9. Bracing load path 26
Useful resources 27
INTRODUCTION
Engineering designs are not routinely audited for technical compliance to the Building Code after a building has
been constructed. Once designs have been consented and built, potential problems can be challenging and costly
to resolve.
Although the Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand (SESOC) has been calling for technical audits of
engineers’ work since 2007, there is no systemwide process for reviews by building consent authorities (BCAs),
the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) or industry.
In November 2021, Engineering New Zealand commissioned a high-level screening review by five expert engineers
of the design of 20 warehouses throughout the country to test whether findings from the Masterton Buildings inquiry
were isolated.
The second and third sections of this report are instructional. The second section provides examples of poor design
and illustrates principles engineers should consider in their design. Its purpose is to help engineers learn and improve
their practice. The final section lists supplementary resources.
This report is intended for engineers and building consent authorities. Owners with questions about the design
of their warehouse should contact a Chartered Professional Engineer for review.
All warehouses were sufficiently complex in that engineers must use good engineering principles in their designs.
At the same time, all designs could be checked quickly by an experienced engineer due to their relatively simple
skeletal structures. In each case, the original design approved by the BCA was signed off by a Chartered
Professional Engineer.
Although we have tried to ensure the sample is representative of this building typology, the sample is too small
to be of statistical significance. Further, no nationwide register of buildings exists from which to draw a controlled
sample. However, this study attempts to provide some quantitative evidence for anecdotal reports that issues
with warehouses are occurring throughout New Zealand.
Process
To mitigate bias, the warehouses included in this review were randomly selected by a staff member at
Engineering New Zealand with no interest in the project. Consenting documentation for the 20 warehouses
included in this review were provided by the six relevant BCAs.
Engineering New Zealand and an external expert engineer have developed a template for reviewing engineers to
complete (Appendix 1). This simple template highlights potential issues in the buildings to assess for robust design.
Reviewing engineers were not asked to undertake detailed calculations of the buildings or its components. As a
result, buildings and components are classified broadly as ‘good’, ‘average’ or ‘poor’. Graphical representations
of what these terms indicate are provided in the second section of this report.
Our reviewing engineers were only given information from BCA files. They did not use as-built drawings or other
information such as photographs or site visits, and therefore had the same information as did the BCAs approving
the designs.
Assessing for compliance with the Building Code was out of scope. Fire engineering design was also outside the
scope of this review.
We were provided with only one DFR for the designs included in this review.
Table 1 shows the consolidated results of the warehouse buildings reviewed. Performance on common themes
is identified and implications provided in our discussion.
Table 1: Key results of the warehouse review. Common review themes are identified, with performance being graded
as good, average or poor (see Appendix 1 for an example of good, average and poor detailing).
Baseplate connections
Reviews identified a common lack of detailing about the anchorage of the baseplate to the slab. Some of the portals
were likely modelled as having a fixed base which exacerbates their detailing inadequacies dramatically.
Knee detailing
The weld detailing of the knee was typically sufficient. However, there was rarely any lateral restraint to the knee
or column, which could result in steel portal frames buckling in an earthquake.
Differential movement
Designs did not typically allow for concrete shrinkage and movement. However, the reviewers were satisfied
that in most cases this did not amount to a life safety issue.
In some cases, engineering designs have not addressed key structural design elements, including those that ensure
load paths and detailing are able to withstand seismic activity. In some examples, design engineers had incorrectly
drawn or omitted critical details in their design of warehouses, such as the restraint of large concrete panels, which
may present a life safety risk should they collapse during an earthquake. Further, such issues appear to have been
present in the building system for some years, including MBIE determinations relating to poor warehouse design
2 3
(Determinations 2013/057 and 2016/003 ).
The results of this review provide a compelling case for educating engineers and BCAs about issues with current
design practice regarding warehouses, and for upskilling engineers in a robust design approach when designing
warehouses. This report informs that education, with examples of good, average and poor design work provided,
as well as additional resources to support engineers in their work.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend building on the work of this review with a focus on educating engineers, including structural
engineers involved with warehouse design to take guidance from SESOC’s ‘Ten tips for better design of low-rise
structures’ seminar series and the New Zealand Geotechnical Society, New Zealand Society for Earthquake
Engineering and SESOC’s ‘Earthquake Design for Uncertainty’.
NEXT STEPS
Engineering New Zealand will partner with collaborating technical societies and other relevant organisations on
design guidance for warehouses, emphasising attention to load paths and connection details. We will work with
stakeholders to disseminate the guidance and incorporate it into engineering practice. We will continue to look for
opportunities to educate engineers about the issues identified in this review.
We will also work with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to understand how this review’s
findings and any design guidance might inform future regulation.
As the Registration Authority for Chartered Professional Engineers, as well as the professional body for engineers,
Engineering New Zealand is well placed to lead or assist these initiatives.
2 www.building.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/resolving-problems/determinations/2013/2013-057.pdf
3 codehub.building.govt.nz/resources/2016003
Additional comments
For a design to be effective, it must fulfil the client’s needs, have clear and robust load paths, and the contractor must
be able to build it. Clear concept drawings and details help ensure that all three requirements are met.
The diagrams and descriptions below are provided so that engineers can learn from issues observed in warehouse
design. Further examples of good practice will be provided in subsequent design guidance. Until that guidance is
available, we recommend engineers review this report’s ‘Useful Resources’ section and watch SESOC’s ‘10 Tips for
Better Design of Low-rise Structures’. SESOC is making the handbook and webinar recording available at no cost.
No eccentricities
Compression in
member
Proprietary
connectors
VIEW X-X
X
Eccentricity
Compression
member
Eccentricity
Learning points
2. Baseplate detailing
With the moment connection developing as the portal cycles, tension and compression forces are transmitted to
the baseplate through the flanges in the column. What will the failure mechanism be? Will it be a ductile failure? For
a ductile failure to occur, the bolt and baseplate strength must exceed that of the portal leg since yielding will always
occur in the weaker component in a joint. It is unlikely that a plastic hinge will develop in the universal beam (UB)
before either the bolts, weld or baseplate fail.
Dry-packed mortar should not be used in industrial portal frames. Pourable grout is preferable.4
Learning points
• The weld from the UB to the plate is likely to be the weakest link. Consider the forces on the flanges
as the portal cycles.
• The 16mm base plate will likely fail in plate bending.
• The bolts will try to form a fixed base due to their lever arm (see ‘Anchor Bolts for Steel Structures’
by Scarry5, available from SESOC).
• The engineer has not considered tension forces in the concrete and should have embedded the bolts
in a cage (see foundation design above).
4 See Design of Portal Frame Buildings, Woolcock et. al., section 7.9.3
www.steel.org.au/resources/elibrary/resources/introduction-to-the-design-of-portal-frame-buildings-bk180
5 www.sesoc.org.nz/design-resources/guidelines/anchor-bolts-for-steel-structures-draft-design-guide
Learning points
• Where are the dimensions for the builder?
• How will the panel resist forces?
• What type and size of reinforcing is required? At what spacings?
• How is the reinforcing anchored in the panel?
• There is no way for a reviewing engineer to check this detail or a contractor to build it.
Always consider eccentricity and torsion when designing connections and load paths. How torsionally sensitive is a
UC or UB (universal beam)? If this were a beam, would you apply a point load in this manner without (as a minimum)
providing torsional restraint? How would you overcome this problem?
There are now Trubolts rated for seismic design, but it is unlikely they were at the time. Consider that these panels
are subject to loadings through Parts and Portions. Therefore, the engineer should specify a restraint that has a
seismic capacity.
Here, the collector beam has been designed as a part as per MBIE determination 2013/057. The beam also has
rotational restraint and can yield.
What type of weld is holding the knee together? Significant forces travel around the knee; could a 6mm fillet weld
hold the flanges together? If the manufacturer used a fillet weld that wasn’t suitable, who is liable for the rework?
Learning points
• The lack of detailing means there is no way of telling if this is a robust knee.
• Non-destructive testing requirements for welding should be included on the drawings,
as per Appendix 1 tables in NZS 5131.
This knee joint was designed to the SCNZ Steel Advisor – Moment End Plate – Column Side (CON1001) principles.
It is clearly detailed and contains enough information for construction and checking.
Learning points
• Follow the load path. How will the joint transfer tension force in the bottom flange? The plate would need to bend
to the first bolt.
• Think about the space the welder has to get the stick between the flange and the plate. Is there sufficient space
to complete the required welding? Draw out the section and see if it seems realistic to you.
Typically, steel framed buildings are only braced in a limited number of bays, so these concentrated loads could be
equal to the total base shear of the building. The accidental eccentricity requirements of 1170 mean that each side
wall should be designed for over half the base shear, and even when a ‘nominal ductile’ approach is taken, design
robustness means the connections should be designed for a higher load level than the connecting members to
ensure a brittle failure doesn’t occur.
Learning points
• Follow the load path. There is an eccentric cleat in compression. How would you detail the connection
to avoid eccentricity?
Figure 4: Consider load transfer - keep detailing simple. Example supplied by Grant and Hughes
(10 Tips for Better Designs of Low-Rise Structures)
Lintel panels
over entrance
Learning points
• Follow the load path. These are precast concrete panels in a high seismic zone. Think about the panels rocking
side to side and back and forth directly over the entrance. What is supporting them? Would reinforced concrete
have been the best choice for these panels?
• Everything depends on the robustness of the connections.
• What time-dependent effects are likely as these panels cycle out of phase?
If a load path is not continuous, the forces will travel through unexpected ways and possibly cause damage
in unforeseen areas.
Learning points
• Follow the load path from the struts. How are the compression loads getting to the foundations?
Hyland, C. (2010, April 27). Gen 7001 Portal Frame Design Tips Seminar Proceedings. Steel Construction
New Zealand Inc. www.scnz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GEN7001.pdf
Fussel, A. (2009, March 17). MEM 3601 Deep Rafter Stability. Steel Construction New Zealand Inc.
www.scnz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/MEM3601.pdf
BRANZ
Beattie, G. J. (2007). A Guide for Designing and Detailing Slender Precast Panels for Earthquake Load Resistance.
Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ). cdn.ymaws.com/concretenz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/docs/
conf/2002/s5_paper_2_-_beattie.pdf
Poole, R.A. (2005). Report to Department of Building and Housing: Design and Construction of Slender Precast
Concrete Walls. www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/68-concrete-walls-report-pdf
HERA
Clifton, C. (1997). HERA Report R4-92: Restraint Classifications for Beam Member Moment Capacity Determination
to NZS 3404. NZ Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA). www.hera.org.nz/product/hera-report-r4-92-
restraint-classifications-for-beam-member-moment-capacity-determination-to-nzs-3404
Clifton C., Mago, N., & El Sarraf, R. (2008). Eccentric Cleats in Compression and Columns in Moment-Resisting
Connections. NZ Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA). www.steel.org.au/resources/elibrary/library/
eccentric-cleats-in-compression-and-columns-in-moment-resisting-connections
NZ Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA). (2003, April/May). Design and Construction Bulletin No. 73:
Restraint Issues Relating to Portal Frame Spline Beams. files.engineering.com/download.aspx?folder=c98c935e-
1a5e-4639-963c-65b7d3560eae&file=DCB_73.pdf
NZ Heavy Engineering Research Association. (n.d.). Design and Construction Bulletin No. 75: Design of Portal Frames
with Limited Restraint at the Knees.
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2005). Practice Advisory 2: Pay Attention to the Basics –
Structural Concepts and Load Paths. www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/b-stability/b1-structure/
practice- advisory-2
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2005). Practice Advisory 3: Beware of Limitations – Cold-Worked
Wire Mesh. www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/b-stability/b1-structure/practice-advisory-3
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2005). Practice Advisory 4: Do Sweat the ‘Small’ Stuff – Connection
Design and Detailing. www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/b-stability/b1-structure/practice-advisory-4
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2010). Practice Advisory 12: Unstiffened Eccentric Cleat
Connections in Compression. www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/b-stability/b1-structure/practice-
advisory-12
Determinations
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2013). Determination 2013/057: Regarding the Refusal; to Issue
a Building Consent and he Code-Compliance of Precast Wall Panels to be Fixed on a Proposed Warehouse
Building at 6 Edwin Feist Place, Solway, Masterton. www.building.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/resolving-problems/
determinations/2013/2013-057.pdf
Poole, R. (2005, August). Report to Department of Building and Housing Review of Design and Construction
of Slender Precast Concrete Walls. Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/68-concrete-walls-report-pdf
Cowie, K. (2009, August 26). CON1001 Momentum End Plate Column Side. Steel Construction New Zealand Inc.
www.scnz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CON1001.pdf
Hogan, L. S., Henry, R. S., & Ingham, J. M. (2018). Performance of Panel-To-Foundation Connections in Low-Rise
Precast Concrete Buildings. Structural Engineering Society New Zealand Journal, 31(1), 26–36.
Grant, M., & Lanser, S. (2018). “Adopt a Ductility” for Steel Portal Frame Structures. Structural Engineering Society
New Zealand Journal. 31(1), 38–45.
Structural Engineering Society New Zealand and Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment Joint Working
Group. (2019). Design and Remediation of Low-Rise Industrial/Commercial Buildings. Structural Engineering Society
New Zealand Journal. 32(1), 15–19.
Burley, J., Faitotoa, T.,Seifi, P., Henry, R.S., & Ingham, J.M. (2014). Out-Of-Plane Behaviour of Connections
Between Precast Concrete Panels and their Foundations. The New Zealand Concrete Industry Conference.
www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Ingham-2/publication/286459556_Out-of-plane_behaviour_of_connections_
between_precast_concrete_panels_and_their_foundations/links/566b438c08ae1a797e39ea42/Out-of-plane-
behaviour-of-connections-between-precast-concrete-panels-and-their-foundations.pdf
Burridge, B.M., Casey, M.P., Raby, M.L., Wright, H.D., Hogan, L., Henry, R.S., & Ingham, J.M. (2015). Improved Detailing of
Precast Concrete Panel to Foundation Connections to Withstand Out-Of-Plane Earthquake Loads. The New Zealand
Concrete Industry Conference. www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Ingham-2/publication/286459377_Improved_
detailing_of_precast_concrete_panel_to_foundation_connections_to_withstand_out-of-plane_earthquake_loads/
links/566b400d08ae1a797e39e7bf/Improved-detailing-of-precast-concrete-panel-to-foundation-connections-to-
withstand-out-of-plane-earthquake-loads.pdf