Resources

A video of the NEESWood Capstone building being shaken at E-Defense in Japan, a research center of Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention. The test, occuring on June 30, 2009, recreated the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, but with approximately 1.16 times the intensity. An even larger test took place on July 14, simulating an even stronger earthquake with 1.5 times the intensity of the Northridge earthquake. Because of the novel construction techniques developed by the NEESWood project researchers and their industry counterparts, damage from the June 30 test was minimal and non-structural.

Credit: Naohito Kawai, Building Research Institute

In the foreground lie the remains of steel lockers and beds, amidst other debris, from Celtiksuyu Boarding School. The school was devastated by the May 2003 earthquake in Bingol, Turkey.

Credit: William A. Mitchell, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)

Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image (958 KB).

Early construction of the NEESWood Capstone building, on location at NIED's E-Defense in Japan.

Credit: John van de Lindt, Colorado State University

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Carpenters help assemble the seven-story NEESWood Capstone building, a 23-unit condominium structure designed to withstand severe earthquake forces.

Credit: John van de Lindt, Colorado State University

Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image (270 KB).