The Christchurch Women's Hospital is the only building in that city that uses LRBs and it was able to continue operating without any problems throughout the devastating earthquakes that occurred between September 2010 and June 2011.
Following the Kobe quake there was a large uptake of seismic isolation technology and in particular the Lead Rubber Bearing in Japan.
Building codes in that country require all new hospitals to implement base isolation technology to ensure that they can continue functioning after a major quake.
The costs of using base isolation for large structures have been found to be recouped in only a few years as insurance premiums are reduced so dramatically.
His work included developing experimental techniques using ultrasonics in solid state physics and initiating a research programme in the Antarctic on sea ice (where he spent a few summers between 1978 and 1989).
He later became director of PEL (1985–91) and showed particular foresight in giving his full support to the new field of the High Temperature Superconductivity programme.
His "indomitable spirit"[2] enabled him to re-learn how to walk, write and drive, and within six months of the stroke he was back at work as a scientist.
He semi-retired during his 60s, spending most of his time on a lifestyle farm overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but continued to lecture, travel and develop his seismic engineering ideas part-time.
[4] The Robinson Research Institute was formed at Victoria University of Wellington in 2014, and "named to honour the late Dr Bill Robinson—inspirational scientist, seismic engineer and early champion of HTS [high-temperature superconductivity] technology".