Shake-Table Testing of a Full-Scale 10-Story Resilient Mass Timber Building

As part of a collaborative research effort (The NHERI TallWood Project), an extensive shake table test program was undertaken on a full-scale 10-story mass timber building with a resilient posttensioned mass timber rocking wall lateral system. Over a three-year period, academic and industry partners collaborated on the design, construction, and testing of a 34 m (113 ft) tall, 10-story mass timber building at the world’s largest outdoor shake table facility (NHERI@UC San Diego). The test building incorporated a resilient mass timber rocking wall lateral system, gravity connection details designed to remain damage-free under design level earthquakes as well as innovative nonstructural systems detailed to tolerate moderate building drifts without significant damage. A total of 88 earthquake tests at different intensity levels were conducted, including several at the risk targeted maximum considered earthquake intensity for the building’s design location. Experimental results indicate that a tall wood building with the systems and details employed in this study can withstand design basis and maximum considered earthquake level events repeatedly with no notable residual drift, no structural member or connection damage, while only experiencing moderate nonstructural damage that would be repairable, meeting the intended resilience goals. This paper provides a summary of the design, construction, testing, and primary results from this experimental program.