UBC researchers develop new shock absorption system for highrises to withstand big earthquakes [Video]

A team of researchers at University of British Columbia have developed a new design for highrises that could help tall buildings withstand major earthquakes, while keeping people safe inside.

Led by structural engineering professor Tony Yang at UBC’s faculty of applied science, the project aims to prepare cities like Vancouver for the “big one.”

“We are expected to have very large earthquakes,” Yang said. 

Traditional highrise designs rely on a rigid concrete core, which typically place elevators and stairwells inside the central core. But the new system, the researcher says, allows buildings to move and absorb energy through dampers, outriggers and rocking foundations, rather than resist the shaking rigidly.

“These …