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Jun 23, 2023

Earthquakes Shake California Tower in Wood Safety Test

The TallWood test building undergoes testing on the “shake table” in San Diego

The TallWood test building undergoes testing on the "shake table" in San Diego on May 9.

To learn how sustainable timber high-rises respond to seismic forces, researchers put one on the world's largest "shake table."

Todd Woody

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This article is part of the Bloomberg Green series Timber Town, which looks at the global rise of timber as a low-carbon building material.

One sunny morning last month, an earthquake jolted northeast San Diego. Minutes later, another temblor hit, causing a 10-story wood building to sway.