Vibration Control in Timber Buildings and Floors: A Critical Review

As timber construction moves toward longer-span floors and taller buildings, vibration control is becoming a serviceability challenge. This review brings together the available literature on vibration control strategies, with particular attention to supplemental damping devices for timber structures at two levels: (1) timber buildings, mainly affected by wind and seismic actions, and (2) timber floors, primarily governed by human-induced vibration. The paper critically discusses the dynamic characteristics of timber systems, their influence on vibration response, and the relevant comfort and serviceability guidelines. It then classifies and reviews damper-based vibration-control strategies used in timber buildings and floors and identifies key research gaps. Overall, the review shows that passive damping strategies still dominate timber vibration control, with building-level studies mainly focused on seismic response and floor-level studies largely centered on Tuned Mass Damper (TMD)-based solutions, while adaptive systems, wind-induced vibration control, long-term performance, and design guidance for placement and tuning remain under-explored.