Seismic Performance on Plasterboard Bracing Walls and Plywood Shear Walls in the Context of NZ Light Timber Framed Structures

Most residential buildings in New Zealand are low-rise light timber-framed (LTF) buildings in which plasterboard bracing walls form the main lateral load-resisting system to resist wind and seismic forces. Occasionally plywood shear walls are also used in order to provide higher bracing capacity due to limited wall length. Past studies have suggested that the seismic performance of plasterboard bracing walls differs significantly from that of plywood or OSB shear walls which are commonly used in North America. In the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, LTF houses performed generally well in terms of life safety. However, the total cost incurred to fix all house-related damage was about NZ$12 billion.