Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
Test with engineered wood shows how tall buildings can sway on a seismic table, absorb part of the earthquake’s force, protect the structure, and help the building return closer to its original position after the tremor
A 10-story wooden building was shaken in a laboratory to test if a tall structure made of engineered wood can withstand earthquakes and reduce permanent damage.
The information was released by DesignSafe, a civil engineering research data platform. The NHERI TallWood project assembled a full-scale wooden structure on a shake table used to simulate seismic shocks.
The practical impact is what happens after the tremor. The research seeks to understand if the building can withstand the sway, suffer less damage, and return closer to its original position, instead of becoming deformed or displaced.
-
While major urban projects take years to materialize, Dubai hoisted an 8,500-ton structure in 16 days between the skyscrapers of One Za’abeel and created a 230-meter suspended walkway 100 meters above the ground without interrupting the traffic below.
-
Removing the bark of a tree without cutting it down every 9 years, cork insulates thermally as well as fiberglass, absorbs vibrations, and resists water, and the material the world knows only as a wine stopper is being used in construction to create facades, acoustic floors, and building coverings that require zero maintenance for decades.
-
Transnordestina receives a new financial injection of R$ 41.2 million from Banco do Nordeste to complete strategic sections of the railway of over 1,200 kilometers and expand freight transport in the Northeast, with the expectation of reducing logistical bottlenecks and strengthening Brazilian exports.
-
Port of Gothenburg prepares dredging of 11 million m³ of clay to deepen the channel to up to 17.5 meters and accommodate fully loaded giant ships of 430 meters, in a strategic project for Sweden and its global maritime foreign trade.
Engineered wood is not common wood and this detail changes everything
The wood used in this type of building is not the same as simple wood for furniture, small roofs, or makeshift constructions. It undergoes controlled manufacturing and becomes a structural piece.
One of the materials used in this field is cross-laminated timber, formed by layers of wood placed in different directions. This organization increases stability and helps the piece withstand greater forces.
The building’s resistance does not come from the wood alone. The performance depends on industrial panels, well-calculated connections, steel bars, and systems that help control the sway.
Therefore, engineered wood enters another level. It does not replace concrete and steel just like that. It requires technical design, testing, and safety rules to function in tall buildings.
Shake table puts the building in an extreme situation without waiting for a real earthquake
A shake table is a large platform that moves to mimic the ground during an earthquake. The building sits on this base and undergoes simulated tremors.
In the NHERI TallWood test, the 10-story structure was built directly on the surface of the seismic table at the University of California in San Diego, United States. The goal was to observe how a tall wooden building reacts when subjected to lateral forces.
These lateral forces push the construction from side to side. In a real earthquake, this movement can cause cracks, displacements, and loss of stability.
The difference is that the laboratory allows everything to be measured with sensors. Thus, researchers can observe how much the building sways, where stresses arise, and how the connections respond to the tremor.
Returning to place after the tremor is one of the most important parts of the research
In an earthquake, it’s not enough for the building to remain standing during the shock. After the ground stops shaking, the construction needs to remain usable and safe.
The concept of self-centering deals precisely with this. In simple words, it is the ability of the structure to try to return close to its original position after the movement.
This behavior depends on walls that sway in a controlled manner, tensioned cables or bars, and parts that help dissipate energy. Energy dissipation works as a way to reduce the impact of the tremor on the structure.
DesignSafe, a civil engineering research data platform, recorded that the system uses massive wooden walls with post-tensioning, a solution designed to improve the seismic performance of tall wooden buildings.
The secret is not only in the wood but in the connections that hold the set together
A tall building is made up of many parts working together. Floor, wall, base, panels, and connections need to act as a system.
During a tremor, the connections receive rapid and repeated stresses. If they fail, the rest of the structure may lose performance.
Therefore, the tests pay special attention to the connections between the elements. They need to allow some movement, but without letting the building get out of control.
The image of the wooden building swaying draws attention because it contradicts common sense
Many people associate wood with fragility. The scene of a 10-story building being shaken on a seismic table breaks this expectation.
This contrast helps explain why the subject has visual strength. The reader sees a wooden construction being tested against one of the most feared natural phenomena.
At the same time, the research does not promise an invincible construction. The focus is on reducing damage, improving structural response, and studying ways to make buildings more resilient.
This difference is important. It’s not about saying that wood solves everything. The research shows that, with advanced engineering, wood can play a significant role in high-performance projects.
Why Brazil can follow this technology even with a lower risk of earthquakes
Brazil does not experience the same seismic reality as countries with strong and frequent earthquakes. Even so, the research is of interest because it broadens the debate on modern construction.
Engineered wood often appears in Brazil as a solution linked to sustainability. This test shows another side: structural performance, safety, and damage control.
The learning can help engineers, architects, and companies better understand how technology evolves outside the country. It also reinforces that wooden buildings require serious design, controlled manufacturing, and well-planned connections.
Even in places with lower seismic risk, studying this type of solution helps the construction industry think about lighter materials, more industrialized processes, and structures with better behavior.
The test reinforces that a tall wooden building is not improvised
The 10-story wooden building tested in the laboratory shows that engineered wood construction has already entered an advanced research phase.
The central point is not just building tall. The challenge is to make the structure withstand swaying, absorb part of the tremor’s energy, and reduce permanent deformations.
The scene draws attention, but the main message is technical and direct. Engineered wood is not common wood. It depends on calculation, connections, and control systems to face extreme situations.
If wooden buildings can be tested against earthquakes in the laboratory, how far should this technology advance in construction: would you trust living or working in a tall building made with engineered wood?
Be the first to react!