Bayer MaterialScience and its partners from industry and academia have developed an efficient and affordable earthquake protection for buildings. An extremely tear-resistant woven fabric is applied with a special adhesive directly to the wall like wallpaper and forms a permanent bond. In the event of an earthquake, the “wallpaper” holds large areas of the masonry together and should keep it stable for some time. The objective is to delay or even prevent the collapse of the walls, giving the occupants time to flee the building to safety.

This innovative development underscores Bayer MaterialScience's commitment to finding sustainable solutions for global challenges in keeping with its corporate mission 'Science For A Better Life'. The company hopes that it will enable to protect many people from the horrific consequences of earthquakes in the future. More than 1.3 billion individuals worldwide live in areas at risk of earthquakes.

The key component of the system is the adhesive formulated with Dispercoll U, a waterborne polyurethane dispersion from Bayer MaterialScience. It adheres extremely well to masonry and the woven fabric, yet is flexible enough for a permanent bond. Partners in the patent-pending development were the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and KAST, the manufacturer of the glass fiber fabric based in Sonthofen, Germany.

The system is available from professional distributors under the name MapeWrap EQ System and installed by trained personnel. The exclusive global distributor is MAPEI, one of the world’s largest suppliers of building chemistry products with headquarters in Milan.

The major advantage of the system is that it can be applied easily in both new construction and existing buildings. It can then be covered with wallpaper or other coatings, so that the occupants can continue to decorate as they please.

Another advantage of the adhesive is that it is waterborne, contains no organic solvents and is thus ideally suited for interior applications.