As several devastating natural disasters have leveled towns and stalled economies, industry attention returns to smarter building. Construction professionals seek materials that are durable, versatile, and sustainable. An existing concrete product may be the key to better building. Conventional concrete—the go-to material for low- and mid-rise buildings— lacks the combination of compressive strength, tensile strength, and durability needed to withstand high magnitude earthquakes and daily wear. Concrete cracks, crumbles and collapses during earthquakes, leaving high repair costs and the potential loss of life. Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) sought to improve upon concrete without increasing the cost of construction. Their creation, eco-friendly ductile cementitious composite (EDCC), eclipses conventional concrete in three ways. Sustainability Conventional concrete production is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas, totaling 7 percent of global emissions. EDCC replaces 70 percent of cement with fly ash, which reduces the levels of carbon dioxide emitted. Additionally, EDCC reduces land and water pollution. The fly ash in EDCC is industrial waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or dumped into rivers and streams. Strength + Malleability Once dry, EDCC becomes as strong as steel yet is much more flexible. A half-inch thick concrete wall can resist a magnitude 9 earthquake when sprayed with a layer of EDCC  10 millimeters thick, UBC reports. Without the EDCC reinforcement, a wall of that thickness would collapse at 65 percent intensity. Versatility EDCC is a sprayable concrete mixture that can be used to reinforce and support thin concrete walls. Thinner concrete walls expand design possibilities without limiting the integrity of the structure. The spray facilitates easier application and a broader range of uses. Builders and engineers are already using the fiber-reinforced concrete to create in schools and businesses. EDCC can also be applied to...

The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal Saturday has prompted rapid international response to aid the millions of people affected. Thousands of people were killed, with the death toll changing daily, and up to 8 million Nepalese are estimated to be impacted. Shelterbox USA, a disaster support non-profit that is rooted in Rotary volunteerism, immediately dispatched a team to Nepal upon learning of the quake. They will establish a plan for distribution of ShelterBox kits, which allow people to “shelter in place” by providing necessary supplies. Shelterbox kits include a tent, water purification system, solar lamp, blankets, and other basic needs supplies to help people who have been left with nothing after a disaster. Yardi was contributed to Shelterbox in the past, including after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Often, the organization will seek to distribute its relief efforts in rural, hard to reach areas far from the more accessible urban centers, which are plentiful in the mountainous country of Nepal. Shelterbox was prepared in advance for a Nepal response effort, with prepositioned tents ready to go in case of an emergency. Yardi employees and corporate charitable giving program will combine to contribute funds in support of Shelterbox’s Nepalese efforts. The company supports more than 80 non-profit organizations and worthy causes each calendar year. ** Just two months ago, Yardi CSD manager Terry Kelly and his wife Pam took the trip of a lifetime to Nepal, where they assisted with a two-day medical outreach organized by Project for a Village. It was a powerful experience in an remote agricultural area with limited health care resources, Kelly recalled. Kelly said that the epicenter of the earthquake was located close to the foothill valley where the medical team had gone to work with local residents. The 7.8-magnitude quake,...

After seeing the haunting images of crumbled school buildings in Haiti, designer Arthur Brutter knew the focus of his upcoming academic project. He wanted to use design to save lives. Brutter, a student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, teamed up with Professor Ido Bruno to tackle the true danger behind seismic events: falling debris.  The EPA estimates that Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. While that percentage varies throughout the world, the concept draws attention to the hazards surrounding our indoor environments. A collapsed roof or fallen wall becomes lethal. Ducking and covering under the average table won’t help much. Brutter buckled down to months of research. He sought to create a table design that would shield people from the dangers of falling debris yet was lightweight enough for youth to lift and carry it. Perhaps the biggest challenge, though, was to set the table at a price point where it could be feasibly used in both developed and developing nations whose school children are at the mercy of earthquakes. With those factors in mind, the building materials became just as important as its blueprint. The table could not be made of titanium or some rare biological matter embedded with Superman’s DNA. It had to be cheap, light, and durable. After months of planning and trials, Brutter and Bruno brought a prototype to the lab that could successfully withstand record-breaking impact while staying lightweight and cost effective. The end result is a wonderfully practical, marvelously plain little table. Award-winning designer Ron Arad served as the duo’s mentor, helping to finalize the design. “It’s not about doing a showstopper visually,” he says. “But doing a disaster stopper and it should be judged as this.” But the table...