I wonder why this building didn't collapse

[Ron Ecker]

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Fire-engulfs-high-rise-Shanghai/ss/events/wl/111510shanghaifire#photoViewer=/101115/481/urn_publicid_ap_org92211ed055a5467882cc8dafc93b3649

"Somebody better investigate soon" (Bob Dylan).

[Len Colby]

There are significant differences between the Shanghai building and its fire compared to the WTC.

1. It is probably a reinforced concrete building. A blogger writing about earthquake resistance of Chinese buildings wrote “Government buildings mostly used reinforced concrete frameworks, and seismic damage to these was minimal”. A Chinese wire service (with very bad English) described it as “28-story external teachers apartments” and reported that “currently residing in it are mostly the work in the Jing’an District School teachers, including many retired teachers.” The WTC were steel framed structures which are more susceptible to fire.
   
2. Fire fighting began promptly after the fire began, there never was any fire fighting at the Twin Towers and fire fighting at 7 was minimal
   
3. The building presumably used traditional architecture which placed top to bottom columns every 10 – 20 feet, collapse of the Twin Towers initiated in the 65 x 208 areas with no support columns. 7 WTC did not have such long trusses but not all the columns went top to bottom due to the Con Ed substation.
   
4. The building was not hit by 100 jetliners flying 400 – 550 mph nor by debris from a 500,000 falling up to 1300 feet.
   

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