safer buildings

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Spectrum | 17.11.2009 | 19:30

Buildings stand up to the pressure of bombs and Mother Nature

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: When a car bomb goes off, most people are injured by flying glass from the windows of nearby buildings

Architects have been designing buildings for years that were solid and practical, but they haven't always reacted well in a crisis. All that could change by simply applying a few new techniques.

Even when bomb explosions do not claim human lives, they are extremely damaging to the buildings in the vicinity of the blast. In Pakistan and Iraq, bombs explosions have, unfortunately, become an almost daily occurrence. Here in Europe researchers are working on two new innovations which can give any building - from banks to embassies - more protection against attacks and natural disasters.

Report: Hellmuth Nordwig/Kate Laycock