Modern Construction Materials Transforming Commercial And Industrial Buildings

Spongy Iris wrote:
Seems like modern construction materials weren't planned to last.

I came across this video recently showing how Rammed Earth outperforms concrete by most measures.

https://youtu.be/YCZt28nszLs?si=V-FPItqOrg7doqGh

Yet another indication the modern world is a House of Cards.

Into the Night wrote:

Spongy Iris wrote:
Seems like modern construction materials weren't planned to last.

I came across this video recently showing how Rammed Earth outperforms concrete by most measures.

https://youtu.be/YCZt28nszLs?si=V-FPItqOrg7doqGh

Yet another indication the modern world is a House of Cards.

Your video is wrong in some very important aspects. Notably on how it denigrates the various building codes as some kind of 'conspiracy'.

Building codes DO allow for adobe construction (rammed earth and straw/earth). Indeed, they are detailed on the requirements for using it there. It exists primarily in the IRC, but also is mentioned in the IBC.

It doesn't work in non-desert areas very well. It is subject to water erosion problems, icing issues, and STILL requires heavy wood beams. Earth has great compressive strength (when correctly compacted and containing the right aggregates. Indeed, the foundation of every building stands on that Earth. It does NOT have great tensile or shearing strength. You must use other materials for those kinds of installations.

The video also cherry picked adobe buildings as 'unique' in surviving the San Francisco earthquake. That is far from the truth. Most single story and two story buildings survived that quake. There were even quite a few three story buildings that survived that quake.

Concrete buildings are reinforced. So are support columns for roadways, railroad bridges, etc. Modern buildings are much more earthquake proof then ever, particularly in earthquake prone areas. That is now part of the building codes. Much of this came out of quakes like this.

Light frame construction (typical of residential construction) IS built like a house of cards. Those 'cards' are plywood or OSB sheets, which give the building much of it's strength. The framing they attach to is the other part of that structure. Properly constructed, these buildings last a very long time.

Too many builders these days use PAPER sheets as the sheer wall. This is BAD construction. It will come apart even before the new house sells. These include million dollar homes where the plumbing doesn't work properly, the electrical system is a fire hazard, the sheer walls are dissolving, the beams aren't resting on a column or valid path to the ground, and even the drywall is installed so haphazardly that it looks like some child did it with all the quality of a treehouse. Brick mortar so defective, that bricks are falling off the facing, even over entrance areas (a real hazard!). Drainage systems non-effective or not sloped correctly. Not a square corner in the place. Door trim that doesn't line up or has gaps. Doors that don't stay open or closed or stick. Window frames that have rot conditions (yes, you can see it under new paint).

And they pay off inspectors to pass this junk.

Million dollar homes. Also, beware of the flippers. They often RUIN a house structure while 'improving' the home.

Before you buy ANY home, get it inspected by an independent inspector that YOU hire. Look for cracks in the foundation, beams that aren't touching their support columns (or don't have one!). The sheer wall material condition (check for rot as well!). Weather membrane and insulation systems that have failed and are causing rot. Check the condition of the brick mortar to see if it's cracking or flaking.

Modern materials each have their uses and cost. Compacted earth/straw (adobe) only works in certain areas (typically desert areas where it doesn't rain a lot). Cement is expensive.

ANY building is a compromise between cost of materials, the purpose of the building, access, and the cost of using the materials, and the surrounding environment (earthquake zone, flooding zone, hurricane prone areas, sandy soils, swampy soils, nearby rivers and lakes, elevation and grade, nearby vegetation, and of course, availability of water, sewage disposal, drainage, electricity, and communications systems, ventilation requirements, and fenestration.

For example, a residence has very different requirements than a theater packed with an audience does, just in ventilation system requirements.

The IRC and IBC and all the other various codes are the MINIMUM requirements for construction. They are there for your safety. The government inspectors are SUPPOSED to enforce them, but too often they do not. THIS is how substandard houses and other buildings come to be.

Spongy Iris wrote:

Into the Night wrote:

Spongy Iris wrote:
Seems like modern construction materials weren't planned to last.

I came across this video recently showing how Rammed Earth outperforms concrete by most measures.

https://youtu.be/YCZt28nszLs?si=V-FPItqOrg7doqGh

Yet another indication the modern world is a House of Cards.

Your video is wrong in some very important aspects. Notably on how it denigrates the various building codes as some kind of 'conspiracy'.

Building codes DO allow for adobe construction (rammed earth and straw/earth). Indeed, they are detailed on the requirements for using it there. It exists primarily in the IRC, but also is mentioned in the IBC.

It doesn't work in non-desert areas very well. It is subject to water erosion problems, icing issues, and STILL requires heavy wood beams. Earth has great compressive strength (when correctly compacted and containing the right aggregates. Indeed, the foundation of every building stands on that Earth. It does NOT have great tensile or shearing strength. You must use other materials for those kinds of installations.

The video also cherry picked adobe buildings as 'unique' in surviving the San Francisco earthquake. That is far from the truth. Most single story and two story buildings survived that quake. There were even quite a few three story buildings that survived that quake.

Concrete buildings are reinforced. So are support columns for roadways, railroad bridges, etc. Modern buildings are much more earthquake proof then ever, particularly in earthquake prone areas. That is now part of the building codes. Much of this came out of quakes like this.

Light frame construction (typical of residential construction) IS built like a house of cards. Those 'cards' are plywood or OSB sheets, which give the building much of it's strength. The framing they attach to is the other part of that structure. Properly constructed, these buildings last a very long time.

Too many builders these days use PAPER sheets as the sheer wall. This is BAD construction. It will come apart even before the new house sells. These include million dollar homes where the plumbing doesn't work properly, the electrical system is a fire hazard, the sheer walls are dissolving, the beams aren't resting on a column or valid path to the ground, and even the drywall is installed so haphazardly that it looks like some child did it with all the quality of a treehouse. Brick mortar so defective, that bricks are falling off the facing, even over entrance areas (a real hazard!). Drainage systems non-effective or not sloped correctly. Not a square corner in the place. Door trim that doesn't line up or has gaps. Doors that don't stay open or closed or stick. Window frames that have rot conditions (yes, you can see it under new paint).

And they pay off inspectors to pass this junk.

Million dollar homes. Also, beware of the flippers. They often RUIN a house structure while 'improving' the home.

Before you buy ANY home, get it inspected by an independent inspector that YOU hire. Look for cracks in the foundation, beams that aren't touching their support columns (or don't have one!). The sheer wall material condition (check for rot as well!). Weather membrane and insulation systems that have failed and are causing rot. Check the condition of the brick mortar to see if it's cracking or flaking.

Modern materials each have their uses and cost. Compacted earth/straw (adobe) only works in certain areas (typically desert areas where it doesn't rain a lot). Cement is expensive.

ANY building is a compromise between cost of materials, the purpose of the building, access, and the cost of using the materials, and the surrounding environment (earthquake zone, flooding zone, hurricane prone areas, sandy soils, swampy soils, nearby rivers and lakes, elevation and grade, nearby vegetation, and of course, availability of water, sewage disposal, drainage, electricity, and communications systems, ventilation requirements, and fenestration.

For example, a residence has very different requirements than a theater packed with an audience does, just in ventilation system requirements.

The IRC and IBC and all the other various codes are the MINIMUM requirements for construction. They are there for your safety. The government inspectors are SUPPOSED to enforce them, but too often they do not. THIS is how substandard houses and other buildings come to be.

Yea I guess YOU are right, here.

Around my neck of the woods, in the SF East Bay, where rainfall is pretty light, I would love to see a Rammed Earth Renaissance.