The Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission today begins public hearings into the collapse of major city buildings in the February 22 earthquake.

The inquiry into building failure, which caused most of the 182 deaths in the quake, is expected to lead to revised building codes across New Zealand.

The commission’s hearing into the Pyne Gould building starts today and continues into December while the hearing into the Hotel Grand Chancellor begins on December 6.

The Forsyth Barr building hearing will start on February 23 and hearings about other buildings that collapsed causing loss of life are scheduled for December and January.

There is still uncertainty about the timing of the hearing into the CTV building because the Department of Building and Housing’s technical investigation has not been completed. The commission has made a provisional decision to conduct the hearing in March 2012.

The commission’s work so far has involved hearing experts’ reports on soils, seismicity and building standards in Canterbury and the rest of New Zealand. Its final report is due in April.