How Safe Are Our Skyscrapers?

Experts at MIT suggest methods for construction that would prevent catastrophic collapses like that at the World Trade Center.

1 minute read

September 29, 2001, 7:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

Experts at MIT suggest is a built-in redundancy in design and operation of the mega-city in emergency situations, similar to a second or third airbag built into a car, which would inflate in progression. This redundancy would not only extend to structural engineering of buildings, but also to other key systems such as transportation... Recent advances in materials science and engineering make it possible to design construction materials for specific performances. Under high temperatures, a new generation of cement-based or ceramic composite materials could be employed in innovative ways on critical structural components, providing redundancy of fire resistance, fireproofing, etc. This would increase the time of dimensional stability of the structural components, thus increasing the time for evacuation.

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: How safe are our skyscrapers?: The World Trade Center collapse

Friday, September 21, 2001 in Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

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