Balcony instability in Newmarket

Auckland City has issued dangerous building notices in relation to 17 apartments at a Newmarket complex where a number of the timber cantilevered balconies are decaying. Auckland City was alerted to the problem at 118 Broadway, Newmarket, on Monday by a construction worker on a nearby site, who thought one of the balconies appeared unstable.

An Auckland City building inspector investigated that afternoon, confirmed the instability and arranged stabilizedfor the balcony to be stabilized temporarily.

Further investigation has confirmed that 16 other apartments in the building have timber-cantilevered balconies constructed in a similar manner, that exhibit symptoms of compromised structural integrity.

The balconies, constructed from untreated timber, were built approximately seven years ago. At that time the use of untreated timber complied with the New Zealand Building Code and a code of compliance certificate was issued in accordance with this.

In 2002, the Building Industry Authority (BIA) alerted councils that balconies constructed from untreated timber could be potentially dangerous and council has since taken appropriate action.

Auckland City considers the balconies at 118 Broadway to be dangerous and is issuing dangerous building notices to the owners/ occupiersThe dangerous building These notices require the balconies to be temporarily stabilized, until they have been fully assessed by a registered engineer to determine the extent of any damage. Any subsequent remedial work will need to be compliant with the current building code. Residents have been informed that the balconies should not be used until this action has been carried out. Auckland City’s principal building officer, Bob De Leur, says the council will work through the building’s body corporate to help owners and occupiers by providing advice on the remedial work now needed.

Mr de Leur says, “The balconies were constructed seven years ago. Under the building code applying at the time councils had no power to refuse a certificate if the building complied with the code.

“The BIA issued an alert in 2002 about the potential failure of balconies built with untreated timber. Only treated timber is now used in these situations.” If treated timber had been used at 118 Broadway we woul

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