A: The damping system is not required to be designed as removable. The main reason for this criteria is to make sure that the structure is stable and firmly fixed to the base plate in case the SDC Chairs determine that the damping devices need to be removed prior to shaking (noted in Section 4.2 of the Official Rules). In case SDC Chairs determine that the damping devices must be removed, it would benefit teams to design their devices in a way that extraction of the devices would be relatively straightforward and wouldn’t compromise the structural integrity of the tower.
