If you’re in search of a home that can withstand even the most powerful natural disasters, the solution might reside in the nearest tree. A team of researchers from five universities are currently working on ways to make wood earthquake-proof. If they succeed, the world may soon see cheap, sustainable wooden homes that can hold up even when earthquakes shake them to their cores.
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12 Responses to “Earthquake-Proof Wood House Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake”
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Very Impressive! This just proves with the correct technolgy we can make buildings with stand a powerful quake.
Now If you have a wine collection in your wine room or wine cellar, than the QuakeGuardian can help protect your wine from earthquakes.
The QuakeGuardian is a device that attaches to your wine rack that allows the bottles to move with the seismic event. When you want to take the bottle out, simply slide the bottle to the back of the rack and slide the gold or black metal ring from around the neck of the bottle.
Also as this building, the QuakeGuardian has been shake tested up to a 7-8 range magnitude quake.
Take a look at the QuakeGuardian!
Just type in quakeguardian on your search engine to see the video’s or go to the web site.
Thanks!
Ed
ed@quakeguardian.com
1-866-255-3145
I don’t see any superimposed dead loads (simulated or not) such as sheetrock or finishes like brick, or any live load simulation. These masses will greatly affect the performance considering the significant drift. Great work on the basic system- but a little more info on the actual test will give more credibility to the “earthquake-proof” claim.
What would happen if termites weakened a wooden earthquake-proof structure? I’m guessing this can’t be used in areas which are termite-prone.
Amazing work. There is a lot that can be done already, one of those things is using Insulating Concrete Forms for your buildings, like Reddiform.
The technology for creating higher quality and more affordable housing is improving every day. It’s only a matter of time before it’s widely accepted.
as far as termite damage and dry rot go, if you do regular inspections you can pretty easily keep it from reaching a dangerous point. Also, wood is fairly easy to repair when there is damage, although how repairs would affect the overall safety would need to be further investigated.
In addition to what Jen4950 pontied out I would add that realistic attempts to simulate any/all penetrations that would be made for mechanical purposes, and adding the required fireproofing would surely change this buildings reaction. But still very interesting.
Use hemp trees thay are not affected by termites, do not rot and are not affected by dampness,
they grow quick and are long lasting.
This would be a god send in Haiti for the rebuilding efforts
Bryant, they can use treated wood, ofcourse, so that termites will not eat it. They can also use fire resistant wood.
Awesome. We needed this information for a project. Thanks for posting this up!
Earthquake-Proof Wood House Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake
Will they float away in the tsunami?
A veneered wood structure at Christchurch university in NZ has survived both simulated to 8 and the 6.3 real one they had there earlier this year: http://www.chcheqjournal.com/2011/building-beat-earthquakes/