DUCTILE OR NON-DUCTILE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

New Zealand is currently grappling with the opportunities presented by a surge of interest in constructing medium rise commercial and apartment buildings in timber. NZ is earthquake- prone and for timber the anti seismic design demands do not readily combine with the other desirable requirements for acoustic isolation, vibration minimisation and fire control. This has meant that the majority of built projects have been designed in a manner to bypass the specific seismic design requirements of ductility.