Masonry buildings perform extraordinarily well in earthquake
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The International Masonry Institute [IMI] in Annapolis, MD, recently released some information regarding the performance of reinforced masonry structures during the 5.8 earthquake that centered in Mineral, VA, on August 23, 2011.
"Reinforced masonry structures performed extraordinarily well in the recent earthquake, particularly when you consider that most of these buildings were not designed for a 5.8 earthquake," said David Sovinski, National Director of Technical Service for the IMI. "This real world experience supports recent testing done on the behavior of properly designed masonry buildings. When you apply research from the laboratory to proper training for craftworkers and contractors, you have an unbeatable combination; well designed buildings that are built according to that design. This improves our public safety and the value of our infrastructure."