Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), today placed extra emphasis on the importance of utilizing durable and resilient construction materials in the Seattle, Wash. market. The highlight comes as part of an increased effort to inform the design / build and construction communities about the advantages of concrete construction in the low- to mid-rise residential sector, and in general.
Seattle is located right in the heart of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an area of major seismic activity that has prompted scientists to declare it’s not a matter of if another big earthquake will happen, but when. According to an article in The New Yorker, when the next big one happens, the “region will suffer the worst natural disaster in the history of North America.” The threat is so dire that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has projected “thirteen thousand people will die in the Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. Another twenty-seven thousand will be injured, and the agency expects that it will need to provide shelter for a million displaced people, and food and water for another two and a half million.”
Build with Strength has released a new video highlighting the safety benefits associated with concrete construction and the limitations of buildings built with wood and wood products. Some groups and individuals are not waiting for the inevitable. Build with Strength hopes to extend this type of safety and durability into Seattle’s booming low- to mid-rise residential market.
