A significant number of people are found to reside in seismically active areas, where they are vulnerable to earthquakes of different intensities and frequencies. In the field of earthquake engineering, it is now widely accepted that tolerating a certain amount of damage is necessary for the right design of a structure to withstand seismic forces in a seismically active region.

There are a number of reasons why skyscrapers might be able to withstand the devastating effects of an earthquake better than an ordinary building can. The first reason is the design of the buildings. The way a building is designed will definitely determine how well or how badly that building reacts in adverse situations, such as an earthquake.

Holdowns, are key components in a continuous load path. They help prevent uplifts that could result when a shear wall overturns. Holdowns, or hold-downs, are steel devices installed at the base of a shear wall in a wooden structure.

There’s so much rave about wood these days. Over 90% of American homes today are built with wood or wood-related components. So how much do you know of the wood you find in these homes? In this article, engineered wood will be explored - its types, advantages and disadvantages.

BIM has been a revelation in the AEC industry since it became popular.

Engineered wood is preferred above solid wood because of its more dimensionally stable properties.