Is this an example, where human ingenuity failed over millennia?
I think, this headline is a bit too clever!
Is it that these houses are so easy to build that structural reinforcement was not a serious consideration in times past?
Is the danger from dying in a collapsing earthen house fairly low given infrequent earthquakes?
Or is this an excuse/rationale to provide more modern housing to survivors in Morocco?
"After thousands of earthen buildings crumbled during the earthquakes in Morocco earlier this month, questions about the buildings’ structural safety have grown more urgent.
Traditional styles: Many of Morocco’s fallen buildings were made of unfired mud bricks and rammed earth—an ancient building style found across the world.
Beyond material: While the earthen buildings have a reputation for “seismic vulnerability,” ..." (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Global Health NOW)
"... This building style is common across Africa, as well as parts of Europe, Asia and the Americas ...
Indeed, modern concrete construction without proper seismic reinforcement can also fail during quakes, as seen in recent disasters in Turkey and Syria. ..."
After Morocco Quake, Earthen Buildings Come Under Scrutiny Recent disasters have raised questions about the seismic vulnerability of mud-brick and rammed earth construction. Can this traditional building style be made safer?
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