Our thoughts are with those who have been adversely affected by the recent earthquakes. They were felt by many across the country. It was certainly the most widely felt quake I have experienced.

I was woken in the night and began to feel a little disconcerted when it was still shaking the house after a couple of minutes. Of course, the whole family was soon awake and up, and we didn’t get much sleep that night as aftershocks hit.

When the ground below you and the building around you are both shaking, it is hard to have peace of mind – but there’s one thing you can be sure about: Monkeytoe structures are far safer than any other alternative in a quake. Here’s why.

A fraction of the weight
Our platforms are around one-third of the weight of structural steel alternatives. This means there is far less mass hanging over your head. It also means there is less weight applied to the building to further stress it. This is particularly important when you have very large platforms, like those we have put on Cashel Square in Christchurch.

Strength and flexibility
As a strong metal with low density, aluminium offers durability and stability that no other framing material can provide. Strength and flexibility are imperative to a structure’s resistance from the forces of Mother Nature, as it is primarily the bending of the frame from horizontal tremors that results in structural damage. Our sectional components with cross-bracing act as energy-absorbing components for the structure. And because of the weight difference, seismic loads on aluminium structures are generally smaller than those on steel. Therefore, a system built in aluminium performs better than a steel structure when subjected to earthquake forces.

New Zealand engineering
Face it, we expect to have earthquakes; they don’t call these the Shaky Isles for nothing. Consequently our codes are some of the most stringent in the world. Monkeytoe systems are designed and engineered in New Zealand specifically for our conditions – quakes included – so you can have confidence that they will perform under pressure. Most of our products come with a PS1 as standard.

It is good to have the peace of mind that a Monkeytoe system brings.