Our work to develop resilient building solutions in collaboration with a team of university researchers and industry experts was put to the test in May 2023 at the University of California, San Diego. As part of the NHERI Tall Wood Project, an NSF funded research study, our team successfully completed full scale seismic testing of a 10-story mass timber structure on a shake table earthquake simulator.
The Architect’s Newspaper was on site with us for testing, and profiled the technology developed by LEVER that makes this tall wood structure resilient during and after major seismic events.
From the Architect's Newspaper:
“At the core of both designs is what is called a rocking-wall system: mass timber sheer walls anchored by post-tensioned rods or cables running down their centers. Thomas Robinson, LEVER’s cofounder and principal, explained the concept on site: “A typical sheer wall is anchored at the two corners of the base. On these walls, only the cables are anchored to the foundation. That allows the whole wall to rock back and forth, and then the cable pulls it back to center.””