Safer, Smarter Timber Structures for Earthquake-Prone Regions
A PhD research project at the University of Auckland, supported by a $99,600 grant from the WIDE Trust, is helping to advance the future of safer, more sustainable construction in earthquake-prone regions.
Led by researcher Rajnil Rohit Lal, the project focuses on prefabricated modular mass timber buildings and explores a critical question: can we build modular timber buildings that are not only sustainable and fast to construct, but also capable of surviving major earthquakes?
Moving beyond traditional seismic design
Conventional earthquake design typically allows buildings to sustain controlled damage during seismic events in order to protect human life. While effective for safety, this approach often leads to costly repairs, long downtime, and loss of building function after an earthquake.
This research explores a different approach, designing buildings that can move with earthquake forces, dissipate energy, and then return to their original position with minimal damage.
At the centre of this work is a newly developed seismic-resilient connection system for modular mass timber construction. The system is designed to:
Allow controlled movement during seismic events
Reduce force demands on the main structural system
Improve post-earthquake recovery and usability
Support a low-damage, resilience-based design philosophy
Why mass timber?
Mass timber, particularly Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), is increasingly recognised as a sustainable alternative to steel and concrete.
It offers:
A renewable, low-carbon building material
High levels of prefabrication and precision manufacturing
Reduced construction waste and shorter build times
Lower on-site labour requirements
However, ensuring strong seismic performance in modular timber systems remains an important engineering challenge, one that this research directly addresses.
Full-scale seismic testing
To validate the concept, a full-scale two-storey modular timber building was constructed and tested at the University of Auckland’s Large Shake Table Facility.
The structure was exposed to realistic earthquake simulations, including both near-fault and far-field ground motions, designed to replicate severe seismic conditions.
This full-scale testing provided a rare opportunity to observe how the system performs under real dynamic earthquake loading, bridging the gap between research and practical application.
Key outcomes
The experimental testing demonstrated highly promising results. The modular timber system performed strongly under significant earthquake loading while maintaining structural stability and integrity.
Key findings include:
The seismic-resilient connection system performed as intended under strong shaking
Controlled movement occurred at the designed interfaces, reducing structural demand
The building returned to its original position after seismic loading
No damage was observed in the primary timber structural elements
The system performed consistently under both uni-directional and bi-directional shaking
These results support the effectiveness of a low-damage, high-resilience design approach for modular timber construction.
Sustainability and long-term benefits
This research highlights the strong link between sustainability and structural resilience.
By combining mass timber construction with advanced seismic engineering, the project demonstrates how future buildings can:
Reduce embodied carbon emissions
Minimise construction waste through prefabrication
Improve construction speed and efficiency
Extend building lifespan through reduced earthquake damage
Lower long-term repair and replacement costs
A building that remains operational after an earthquake is not only safer, it is also significantly more sustainable over its lifetime.
What this means for the future
The implications extend far beyond this single project.
This research has potential applications in:
Residential housing developments
Mid-rise commercial buildings
Schools and universities
Healthcare facilities
Rapid-build infrastructure in disaster-prone regions
It also supports the wider shift toward industrialised construction, where buildings are prefabricated off-site, digitally designed, and performance-optimised from the ground up.
Looking ahead
This project demonstrates that sustainability, speed, and resilience do not need to be competing priorities.
By rethinking how buildings respond to earthquakes, this research contributes to a future where structures are:
Faster and more efficient to build
Lower in environmental impact
Highly resilient under extreme events
Capable of maintaining functionality after disasters
It represents an important step toward the next generation of intelligent, sustainable, and earthquake-resilient buildings.