Performance of Dutch Colonial Era Buildings

These art deco style buildings were an integral part of the original spice trade routes, using the Batang Arau as a trading port. The structures in this area are mostly tall two-story buildings, built with unreinforced brick masonry walls usually two-wythes wide. The buildings have wood floor and roof truss framing, with no substantial connection between the walls and diaphragms. Roofs consist of either clay tile (older) or corrugated sheet metal (renovated).

The first Dutch building along the Batang Arau appears to have performed well with limited damage. This might be because a masonry architectural element a the top of the longitudinal walls acted as a ring beam, or chord spanning between transverse walls.

Figure 1. Dutch Colonial Era Buildings.

Approximately 50% of the other Dutch buildings along the Batang Arau suffered significant partial collapse of brick masonry walls and the supported roof. While this is one of the few areas which used double-wythe brick masonry walls (modern construction is single-wythe), the Dutch buildings had a high concentration of damage. Most of the damage indicated shear failure of brick masonry walls, where the brick mortar was the weak link. This may have been cause by the use of older, weaker, brick and mortar compared to the construction in other parts of the city which saw less brick wall failure.

Figure 2. Dutch buildings suffered significant partial collapse of brick masonry walls and the supported roof.		Figure 3. Shear failure of brick masonry walls, where the brick mortar was the weak link.		Figure 4. High concentration of damage due to double-wythe brick masonry walls.

Figure 5. Use of older, weaker, brick and mortar compared to the construction in other parts of the city.		Figure 6. Tall wo-story buildings built with unreinforced brick masonry walls usually two-wythes wide.