VIDEO: Retrofitting old buildings to make them earthquake safe

From the Georgia Tech News Center:

Non-ductile reinforced concrete buildings are among the most common structures in the United States. They are also among the most deadly.

Structures built prior to the 1950s in California and prior to the 1980s in the central and southeastern United States were typically not designed with proper details to perform adequately during earthquakes.

Through a grant provided by the National Science Foundation, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology — along with partners at Virginia Tech, Rice University, Howard University and the University of California, Los Angeles — are testing retrofits that potentially can make these buildings safer and more secure. (Read more)