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  • UBC Civil Engineering Department

    Eco-friendly concrete protects old buildings from earthquakes

    by 
    Steve Dent
    Steve Dent
    10.11.2017

    Concrete has become the high-rise building material of choice because it's relatively cheap, easy to work with, long-lasting, and highly resistant to fire or explosions, unlike steel. It does have one inherent flaw, though: It's not great under tensile loads, so it requires heavy steel reinforcement to resist earthquakes. However, researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a new type of concrete with steel-like properties that can resist powerful quakes and is eco-friendly, to boot.