The inquiry into the collapse of the CTV building continues

By Jessica Rowe

The independent report into the CTV building claims it failed to meet three building codes when it was built and which may have lead to its collapse.

Engineers Clark Hyland and Ashley Smith who prepared the report for the Department of Building and Housing concluded the structure was weak, and too rigid.

“A likely scenario was the collapse on column failure on the north east of the building,” said Mr Smith.

“It could have also been influenced by east west drift or vertical seismic load, or low concrete strength.”

The investigators say the building would have collapsed in the February quake even if it had not suffered any previous quake damage.

“This building was largely undamaged, remarkably undamaged, there was not damage to consider a sequence of effects,” Mr Hyland told the inquiry.

At the time of the report’s release in January the head of Alan Reay Consultants Ltd, the engineering company that planned the CTV building, disputed several of the findings and said the report was technically inadequate.

At the hearing, Alan Reay's lawyer questioned the investigators’ procedure and credentials.

Mr Reay will give evidence at the commission later this week.