This summer, a seven-story, 17,000-square-foot wood-framed condo tower will be placed on the world's largest earthquake shake plate, in Miki City, Japan, to test the ­resilience of taller wood buildings under seismic conditions. The NEESWood Capstone tests, as the project is known, will culminate a four-year-long research effort that involves five universities; the governments of the U.S., Canada, and ­Japan; and several manufacturers. Hawaii's Maui Homes is the builder.

The goal is to uncover evidence about the safety of higher mid-rise wood structures in seismic areas. The National Science Foundation, which provided a $1.4 million grant for this project, estimates that 75 million Americans live in places at risk from earthquakes. John van der Lindt, a professor of engineering at Colorado State University and the project's director, thinks the tests could prove the feasibility of using wood for buildings as tall as seven stories. [Read full article]

By John Caulfield,

BuilderOnline - April 6, 2009 - Going Up