Ecobreves – EL SALVADOR: Quake-Resistant Adobe

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SAN JOSE, Apr 15 2001 (IPS) - – Adobe, a material made from mud mixed with straw, will serve to build earthquake-resistant homes in El Salvador, announced an environmental organization. The country has already suffered to devastating quakes this year. Mauricio Sermeño, of Salvadoran Ecological Unity, told Tierramérica that adobe houses built in late 2000 withstood the temblors of January and February, leading his group to launch a campaign to promote widespread use of the material in home construction.

The model for the project was designed by engineers and architects in Chile, Colombia, France and Peru, and uses mud bricks combined with bamboo.