Earthquake technology in new Wellington buildings like giant 'shock absorber'

Each of the Bowen St buildings uses 64 seismic dampers – cylinders with a piston inside surrounded by silicone-based fluid that are fixed horizontally onto the structural frame. There are eight dampers for each floor.

Nick Morris​, the project lead for construction firm LT McGuinness, said the viscous dampers acted like car shock absorbers for the building during an earthquake.