Researchers at the University of British Columbia have engineered a proclaimed eco-friendly, ductile cementitious composite (EDCC).  What this means, essentially, is that the concrete is reinforced by polymer-based fibres, which greatly increases its strength, and in turn its resistance to seismic activity.

Researchers applied a 10mm thick layer of the composite to interior walls that were then subjected to the equivalent of a 9.1 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale; researchers profess that the walls could not be destroyed.

This innovative invention will allow contractors to replace nearly 70% of the cement currently used in concrete with fly ash, an industrial by-product, which will drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As it stands, current cement production produces almost one-tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; and the construction industry alone, thanks in part to this fact, is responsible for 7% of total global emissions.

EDCC will see its first application in a Vancouver elementary school, which will be undergoing a seismic retrofit in the near future.

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