Ottawa Lab Shakes Up Building Safety

0:00It's April 6th, Canada news today starts now, AI powered and ready. Researchers at Carlton University in Ottawa are shaking up buildings in their lab to reveal how infrastructure holds up during earthquakes right here in the nation's capital. Funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, civil engineers are testing everyday construction elements on a massive shaking table that mimics. Quakes strong enough to push a 100-story high rise to collapse. They're zeroing in on non-structural parts, like suspended ceilings, heating systems, gas lines, and cables that keep offices in schools running. These pieces often get wrecked first in a shake, turning safe spaces into hazards before the real damage hits. Folks in eastern Canada might not think about Quakes much since they hit less often than out west, but the Ottawa Valley up to Montreal sits in a moderate-sized mexone where big ones can still strike. Mr. Jeffrey Orozco points out people overlook these risks, even though the impacts could

1:01match anything on the coast. Lab tests using real-quake data show suspended ceilings in grid systems fail fast, with panels dropping and blocking escape routes while posing, falling dangers. This data highlights why these common features in schools and offices need redesigns now. By breaking things down, the team aims to update building codes, retrofit old structures, and build smarter for the future, ultimately shielding, lives, cutting costs, and boosting resilience across the board.