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AutoCAD – a Drafting Tool

SCIRT integrated standardised software systems and developed macro tools to maximise design and drawing efficiencies. One of these systems was AutoCAD, used for construction and as-built drawing preparation.

Retaining Wall Assessment and Prioritisation

The attached paper shares the assessment and prioritisation philosophy created for approximately 1000 Christchurch City Council retaining wall assets within the Port Hills in Christchurch. Following this assessment, a prioritisation score was developed for each wall which was used to select and prioritise the repair of 440 walls that were included in the SCIRT rebuild programme.

Retaining Wall Design Solutions

The Canterbury earthquakes caused significant damage to Christchurch City Council-owned retaining walls. SCIRT assessed approximately 3000 walls then designed repair or rebuild solutions for 440 walls within SCIRT's scope of work.

Consistency of Roading Terminology

With the SCIRT programme involving people from hundreds of different organisations, it was key that everyone used the same terminology to avoid confusion and errors throughout design and in the preparation of construction drawings and specifications for roading related earthquake repairs.

Design Library and Template Documents

The SCIRT design library was created to provide an accessible (single) location for electronic design-related information to be held for use by the design team.

12d – One-Stop-Shop Design Tool

12d Model was the terrain modelling, surveying and civil engineering software package selected for design at SCIRT.

Huntsbury Reservoir

Among Christchurch's most hard-hit earthquake-damaged facilities was the Huntsbury Reservoir. Water drained from the shattered 35,000-cubic-metre storage basin, the city's principal drinking water storage facility. Innovative design and prompt decision-making proved paramount in the rebuild process.

Geographic Information System Support of the Rebuild

Several business systems were chosen to provide efficient and effective data collation, storage, interrogation and reporting for the SCIRT rebuild, using modern, accurate and appropriate technologies. One of those was a Geographic Information System (GIS).

Financial Management Plan

The Financial Management Plan outlines SCIRT's commercial framework, financial principles and processes for a financially effective alliance. It also describes how timely, accurate information relating to estimating and all costs have been managed and reported for each project phase in the SCIRT programme.

ProjectCentre: Central approach to projects

ProjectCentre enabled the integration of correspondence, documentation and data for post-earthquake design, planning and construction phases to lift efficiency, lower costs and improve decision-making.

Click Click Zoom – Focus on GPS Cameras

Global Positioning System (GPS) cameras were used throughout the SCIRT programme to take site photos, which were then uploaded and displayed as a layer on the SCIRT GIS (Geographic Information System) Viewer.

Data Governance – Standardise, Process and Deliver

To ensure high-quality, standardised data were delivered to clients, SCIRT's Geographic Information System (GIS) Team created a dynamic process governance model.

Data Collection Applications

The Geospatial Information System (GIS) team updated and delivered complete geospatial datasets for more than 200,000 council assets. To aid this process, they tailored two mobile applications that sped up and increased the accuracy of data collection.

Business Systems

Rebuilding horizontal infrastructure proved to be a mammoth undertaking. With 740 projects, up to 2000 staff and a $2.2 billion budget, purpose-designed business systems were vital to manage the complex programme of SCIRT works.

SCIRT Geographic Information System (GIS) Viewer

From day one, data and information were vital to ensure informed decisions about what to do, where and when. Ensuring visibility and availability was top priority.

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The Commercial Model

How do you control the money in a post-disaster rebuild context?

Estimating

Accurate estimating was a vital element in controlling costs and demonstrating the best value for money in the long run.

Stakeholder Management Plan

A suite of 31 management plans were developed under the Interim Alliance Agreement prior to the start of SCIRT, to intentionally guide the organisation. These plans were reviewed annually and updated as required. This Stakeholder Management Plan was one of these management plans, and it outlined the scope, approach and key deliverables for communications and stakeholder engagement for SCIRT's horizontal rebuild programme.

Communicating Through Work Notices

SCIRT used many communications channels to maintain an open and honest dialogue with the community during its rebuild programme. These helped build tolerance and understanding around the disruptive nature of SCIRT's work. Regular community surveys showed SCIRT's most effective communication tool was the Work Notice.

Site Visit Information Days

Work site information days were a positive way to build relationships with the local community. The public was invited to visit the site on a set day and meet the people working there.

Project ‘Chocolate Fish’

In response to driver frustration and to encourage patience and safe driving habits during traffic detours and delays, stationary drivers were given "chocolate fish" (iconic New Zealand sweets) wrapped in a message about the project.

Fact Sheets about SCIRT

SCIRT created a range of fact sheets describing its role and work. These accessible, cost-effective tools were displayed in public places and taken to community meetings.

Communication Team Role and Purpose

Effective stakeholder communication and engagement was critical to the success of SCIRT's rebuild programme. In a post-disaster environment, the community was already under considerable stress. About 150 SCIRT construction projects at any one time within a relatively small city (population approx. 360,000) could be highly disruptive to residents, businesses and commuters.

Door to Door Community Contact

One of SCIRT's objectives was to "be proactive and communicate face-to-face where possible". It also aimed to be "approachable". These objectives were regularly measured in community surveys. Door-knocking was a successful way to meet these objectives and encourage positive contact between SCIRT and the community. It was particularly important in a post-disaster environment where people were coping with many stressors and their ability to process information was impaired. It was also important in communities where written communication was less effective.