The National Science Foundation awarded WSU researchers with a $1.5 million grant to create guidelines for builders to use sustainable timber in earthquake-prone areas.

As part of the grant, researchers will put their designs to the test on a 10-story wooden building during an earthquake simulation. Daniel Dolan, professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, is working with seven universities and laboratories to cultivate these new designs using cross-laminated timber, according to a WSU news release.

Shiling Pei, an assistant professor at Colorado School of Mines, will lead the project in an effort to use less steel and concrete during the construction of high-rise buildings in seismic areas. The group will look at design aspects like walls and beams, and one possible idea for the project involves a rod that will run down the middle of the wall in order to resist earthquake movement, according to a WSU news release.

Reporting by Kaia Johnson