With Grenfell Tower, we’ve seen what ‘ripping up red tape’ really looks like

[Tahuyaman]

We have one poster who seems to think dereg is always a good thing, that regulations in and of themselves are a scam.

What would you say to that member?

Using the word "always" isn't always applicable.

I try to not engage that member very often as he thinks he's superior to everyone else and only his view is acceptable.

[Dr. Who]

Refresh my memory. You are somewhat of an expert on insurance matters such as this, are you not?

The English bricks made of mud and horsehair that @Dangermouse described in another thread would liquify in an earthquake wouldn't they?

That's the kind of archaic cheap free enterprise engineering that results in huge death totals from what we now know to be just moderate earthquakes.

I am not aware of bricks made of horse hair and mud in England. Perhaps in very dry places like the ME or Mexico. English bricks were always made of clay. The reason that London was always perceived of as being in a fog in the 19th century, is because of the coal fired brick works that created a pervasive smog. What did exist however is something called wattle and daub. The wattle was was woven panels of sticks or branches and used to infill walls between timber framing. The daub was a composite of various aggregate that was applied to the woven panels and then painted to resist rain. There were also "cob" houses made of mud and straw. They were not bricks but massively thick mud/straw walls that were also treated to resist moisture - it does rain a lot in the UK. As to earthquake resistance, TBH the more flexible the material the better chance it has to survive an earthquake unless the foundation of the building is designed to move independently (like springs) and maintain stability in a quake. That generally doesn't happen in residential construction, so a rigid home that cannot flex, will likely collapse. A timberframe building however, because the framing is not just nailed together, but instead jointed, will move and twist organically. The treatment on the house might crack and fall off, but the house won't fall down.

[Tahuyaman]

I am not aware of bricks made of horse hair and mud in England.....

I think that was around the 14 to 1600's. Maybe earlier.

[Bethere]

I think that was around the 14 to 1600's. Maybe earlier.

If you've ever been there you would know there are tons of examples of such architecture still standing in the UK.

One of my friends live in one such house in Devonshire that was built in the 15th century.

[Tahuyaman]

If you've ever been there you would know there are tons of examples of such architecture still standing in the UK.

There is a lot of old world history all over Europe.

[Dr. Who]

I think that was around the 14 to 1600's. Maybe earlier.

I think mud and straw was more common although I can't say that horsehair was not thrown in for good measure. It was certainly used as insulation in homes. The biggest problem with the use of mud is that it absorbed moisture, so the houses were always somewhat damp.

[Bethere]

I am not aware of bricks made of horse hair and mud in England. Perhaps in very dry places like the ME or Mexico. English bricks were always made of clay. The reason that London was always perceived of as being in a fog in the 19th century, is because of the coal fired brick works that created a pervasive smog. What did exist however is something called wattle and daub. The wattle was was woven panels of sticks or branches and used to infill walls between timber framing. The daub was a composite of various aggregate that was applied to the woven panels and then painted to resist rain. There were also "cob" houses made of mud and straw. They were not bricks but massively thick mud/straw walls that were also treated to resist moisture - it does rain a lot in the UK. As to earthquake resistance, TBH the more flexible the material the better chance it has to survive an earthquake unless the foundation of the building is designed to move independently (like springs) and maintain stability in a quake. That generally doesn't happen in residential construction, so a rigid home that cannot flex, will likely collapse. A timberframe building however, because the framing is not just nailed together, but instead jointed, will move and twist organically. The treatment on the house might crack and fall off, but the house won't fall down.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...g9Fi8xwIs9fIEw

The ABCs of Seismic Building Codes - MCEER

[Beevee]

The mud and horsehair was not used as bricks but as a covering between the bricks and wallpaper or paint.

[Dr. Who]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...g9Fi8xwIs9fIEw

The ABCs of Seismic Building Codes - MCEER

I get a privacy warning about that website.

[Chris]

People, not unlike you, decided to either roll back or not enforce said codes at places like Grenfell Tower.

Was justice served?

How many lives and how much property damage would make such deregulation foolhardy?

Ask yourself who screwed up. The people who lived there? No. The government those people depended on did. And you want more of that?