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Concrete slabs have steel rods, which makes it resilient to earthquakes. In an earthquake-prone zone you will need more steel. The structure will be supported b

Concrete slabs have steel rods, which makes it resilient to earthquakes. In an earthquake-prone zone you will need more steel. The structure will be supported by concrete columns which also have steel.

Reubachi 2y ago
Concrete is rampant in developing nations as it's cheap, scalable, and hardy. It is only cheap because of purchasing power parity, labor costs, resource parity. (For example, construction workers in IN are part of the servant class, and essentially are not paid. they live in the construction sites before it's completed/move on to the next.) In the west.....a concrete/rebar home would cost more per sq foot than a modern hardwood/brick luxury home, because a contractor would have to do some pretty insane procurement, and work...a lot. Plastics/Vinys/Composites used in the west satisfy 2 of those 3 qualities listed earlier, anyway You could even call them hardy as compared to old thatched roofs, sod walls etc. Now.....let's be realistic. 70 MPH firestorms are historically devastating. Your concrete home in this scenario is destroyed and no longer structurally sound due to the heat stress, exploded water pipes, carcinogens. Everything is fuel when the heat/wind is that high. And if it isn't fuel, it's getting beat up by it. I have problems with the way this fire waas handled (IE, not maintaining a properly paid wildland force or AIR corps of said force), but I really can't see mass concretization as away out. Simply put: anyone building in LA right now is on some good drugs.
- breadwinner 2y ago
  - As far as labor cost, this is where we need to bring in cheap labor from south of the border, legally, on temporary visas. Win-win for everyone. - 70 MPH firestorms: Currently houses made of wood are fuel for the fire. When houses are made of concrete and steel the fuel is taken away and fires don't spread as easily. Why don't we hear of fire devastating homes in the Middle East? Because buildings in the Middle East are constructed using concrete and steel. These materials are less likely to ignite and spread fire compared to traditional wooden structures.
  - hollerith 2y ago
    Buildings in the Middle East are constructed using concrete and steel mostly because wood would need to be imported from 1000 miles away and because the thermal mass of the concrete is very useful for moderating the extremely continental climate.

Reubachi 2y ago

Concrete is rampant in developing nations as it's cheap, scalable, and hardy. It is only cheap because of purchasing power parity, labor costs, resource parity. (For example, construction workers in IN are part of the servant class, and essentially are not paid. they live in the construction sites before it's completed/move on to the next.) In the west.....a concrete/rebar home would cost more per sq foot than a modern hardwood/brick luxury home, because a contractor would have to do some pretty insane procurement, and work...a lot. Plastics/Vinys/Composites used in the west satisfy 2 of those 3 qualities listed earlier, anyway You could even call them hardy as compared to old thatched roofs, sod walls etc. Now.....let's be realistic. 70 MPH firestorms are historically devastating. Your concrete home in this scenario is destroyed and no longer structurally sound due to the heat stress, exploded water pipes, carcinogens. Everything is fuel when the heat/wind is that high. And if it isn't fuel, it's getting beat up by it. I have problems with the way this fire waas handled (IE, not maintaining a properly paid wildland force or AIR corps of said force), but I really can't see mass concretization as away out. Simply put: anyone building in LA right now is on some good drugs.

breadwinner 2y ago
- As far as labor cost, this is where we need to bring in cheap labor from south of the border, legally, on temporary visas. Win-win for everyone. - 70 MPH firestorms: Currently houses made of wood are fuel for the fire. When houses are made of concrete and steel the fuel is taken away and fires don't spread as easily. Why don't we hear of fire devastating homes in the Middle East? Because buildings in the Middle East are constructed using concrete and steel. These materials are less likely to ignite and spread fire compared to traditional wooden structures.
- hollerith 2y ago
  Buildings in the Middle East are constructed using concrete and steel mostly because wood would need to be imported from 1000 miles away and because the thermal mass of the concrete is very useful for moderating the extremely continental climate.