Safer buildings are nothing new

Qube building, Vancouver, B.C.

See the similarity?

Buildings designed to fare well in areas of seismic volatility are nothing new.  Although there's been a lot of focus on building earthquake resistant buildings since the big Christchurch shakes, some countries have been producing winning designs for a long time.

Take this wonderful structure in Vancouver, British Columbia.  I remember being blown away when I saw the Qube building on a Canadian holiday.  The structure is ingenious in the way that the massive steel cables literally suspend the building from the central column rather than having it anchored on ground foundations.  This allows it to sway in a shake, a bit like a 'cone climber' (witch's hat) in a kids ' playground.

What is perhaps more amazing than the blend of architectural know-how and technology is the age of this building.  It was built back in 1969 and it's still considered to be one of Canada's most earthquake-resistant buildings.