structural damage Archives

LONDON, UK- JUNE 14, 2017 Members of the public gather to watch a huge fire at the Grenfell tower block in west London. The blaze engulfed the 27-storey building with hundreds of firefighters attending the scene. There are reports of people trapped in the building and multiple fatalities. (Photo by Ben Cawthra) (Sipa via AP Images)

London fire: How structures, and people, can withstand trauma

Early Wednesday morning, a deadly fire erupted in a high-rise apartment building in London—one of the worst in the city’s history. The blaze came on the heels of three recent tragedies in the U.K., prompting us to ask two professors how both buildings and humans can remain resilient under intense stress.

by Molly Callahan June 15, 2017

A building in Italy following an earthquake in recent years. Photo via iStock.

Infrastructure, shallow earthquake contribute to Italian towns’ destruction

Professor and post-disaster recovery expert Daniel Aldrich discusses this week’s earthquake in Italy, what the country has and hasn’t done to protect itself against seismic activity, and what it will take for the affected communities to heal.

by Molly Callahan August 26, 2016

3Qs: Earthquake not surprising, but tough to predict

Professor Jerome Hajjar, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, assesses yesterday’s earthquake and how buildings in older cities, such as Boston, are equipped to resist such events.

by Greg St. Martin August 24, 2011

structural damage

London fire: How structures, and people, can withstand trauma

Infrastructure, shallow earthquake contribute to Italian towns’ destruction

3Qs: Earthquake not surprising, but tough to predict

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