Timber a viable option for high-rise buildings in quake zones

Jon Tanner, chief executive of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association says a wooden building weighs less than a steel concrete structure with obvious benefits in both construction and resilience in an earthquake. After all it is standard for aircraft components to be monitored for performance real time – so why not buildings in quake zones? But Callaghan Innovation’s apparent sole focus on finding more earthquake resistance through concrete technology, and particularly how to prevent steel rods from rusting when water gets through from earthquake cracks, is a one trick structural pony.