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Is the world becoming uninsurable?

(charleshughsmith.substack.com)
478 points spking | 1 comments | 17 Jan 25 00:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.198s | source
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bitmasher9 ◴[17 Jan 25 20:13 UTC] No.42742773[source]▶
I often hear people bring up the point that wood buildings are a risk for wildfires and brick/concrete would be safer. When I did some research on this topic years ago I concluded that brick/concrete is much less stable in an Earthquake, which is also a concern for LA. Is it possible to build earthquake resistant concrete structures?
replies(1): >>42743410 #
1. jandrewrogers ◴[17 Jan 25 21:23 UTC] No.42743410[source]▶
Yes, you can build reinforced concrete structures rated to not collapse during a M8-9 earthquake. However, the quantity of steel and reinforcement required for the concrete structure to have sufficient strength makes it expensive and labor intensive to build.

The US has been pioneering other construction techniques using welded steel plates instead of reinforced concrete. They have excellent seismic resistance and are much cheaper to build because you don't need to place rebar.