In the current tests of the two - story, 22 - foot - tall structure, the researchers are studying the behavior of full - scale seismic safety systems made from advanced wood materials — including rocking walls, which can rock
during a temblor and then re-center back by itself, and a mass timber floor designed to
withstand strong
earthquakes.
Any dam being built
during this government - funded boom, as well as those already completed, must be able to
withstand the strong ground shaking of an extreme
earthquake, says Martin Wieland of the International Commission on Large Dams, a group of engineers that makes recommendations for structural standards.