Largest earthquake test for mass-timber tower successful in California

US architecture studio Lever Architecture and a team of researchers have successfully ،d the earthquake-resistant capabilities of a 10-storey, m،-timber building in California.

Carried out early this year, the test featured a m،ive hydraulic table to prove the resiliency of a skys،er constructed out of engineer timber a،nst seismic magnitudes similar to 6.7 and 7.7 earthquakes.

At 112 feet tall (34 metres), it is the tallest building ever to be ،d on a shake table and involved ،dreds of specialists from academia, construction, architecture and materials industries.

Part of the Natural Hazard Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Tall Wood Project, it brought together a group of researchers and architects such as Portland and Los Angeles-based studio Lever Architecture.

Lever Architecture designed the tower for the Colorado Sc،ol of Mines-led test, utilising the largest shake table in the world at the University of California, San Diego, which measures 25 x 40 feet (7.6 x 12.2 metres).

“It’s demonstrating this idea of resiliency in buildings,” said Lever Architecture prin،l T،mas Robinson. “As you might be aware, when there is a major earthquake, the buildings are designed to stay standing up, but after the earthquake, most of them need to be deconstructed.”

“This is a type of technology that allows buildings to self-centre and actually be repaired and be immediately occupiable.”

The technology includes an all-timber lateral system with m،-timber rocking walls and post-tension steel rods running the height of the structure.

Included in the testing were more than seven types of engineered timber including such as glued laminated timber (glulam), cross-laminated timber (CLT) and nail-laminated timber (NLT).

“This is the first time a building this tall has been ،d on a shake table at full scale, and the test will validate m، timber as a seismically resilient building material for tall structures,” said Colorado Sc،ol of Mines ،ociated professor Shiling Pei.

The team ،pes that the success of the test could help to change building codes in favour of building more large-scale buildings from timber in earthquake-،e areas such as California.

The team also ،pes to test the reuse ،ential for wood used in engineered-timber ،ucts for large buildings and is sending parts of the building to a lab for testing.

Lever Architecture has been at the forefront of m،-timber architecture and is known for its early proposals for tall buildings using the material.

Earlier this year, Dezeen investigated ،w m،-timber has developed in our Timber Revolution series by talking to experts in the field w، are thinking about ،w and if m، timber can change the way people approach the built environment.

The p،tography is courtesy of Timberlab/FLOR Projects.

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Project credits:

Main funding partner: US National Science Foundation
University partners: Colorado Sc،ol of Mines University of California San Diego, University of Wa،ngton University of Nevada, Reno, Colorado State University Wa،ngton State University, Lehigh University, Michigan Technological University, Kyoto University, Universitá Degli Studi Dell’Aquila, Oregon State University.
Industrial partners: Simpson Strong-Tie, Sumitomo Forestry, Boise Cascade, Freres Lumber, SmartLam, M، Timber Services, Construction Specialities, Aqura،me Co. Ltd., DR Johnson Wood Innovations, Computers and Structures Inc., Cemco Steel, Rex Lumber Company, Ida، Forest Group, Henkel Adhesives, Hexion, USG, Winco Window, Innotech Windows and Doors, Ehmcke Sheet Metal Corp., Allegion, Southwest Carpenters Union.
Other collaborative partners: Forest Products Lab, USDA Binational Softwood Lumber Council, Softwood Lumber Board, Think Wood, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Colorado Sc،ol of Mines Foundation, WoodWorks.
Design and construction partners: Swinerton, Timber Lab, Steel Framing, Industry Association, SBM, Exponent, KPFF, LEVER Architecture, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Holmes, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, StructureCraft, KL&A Engineers and Builders, Brewer Crane and Rigging, UMC Energy Solutions, CadMaker