

Pakistan is in an earthquake-prone region, as evidenced by the catastrophic earthquake in October 2005, which resulted in the loss of more than 75,000 lives, injured thousands, and left millions homeless. Entire towns like Balakot were destroyed, and the collapse of well-known buildings such as the Margalla Towers in Islamabad became a powerful symbol of the disaster. Poor construction materials, brittle building designs, and the lack of seismic-resistant engineering were identified as the primary causes of widespread destruction. The earthquake exposed a harsh truth: Pakistan’s infrastructure was unprepared for such natural disasters. The collapse of buildings, schools, and hospitals revealed how unprepared the infrastructure was to handle such natural disasters. The tragic events highlighted the urgent need to improve construction practices, especially in high-risk areas like northern Pakistan, Islamabad, Karachi, and Quetta. Safer building methods and stronger materials are essential to protect communities and prevent such large-scale damage in the future.


Traditional reinforced concrete (RC) is widely used in construction but has significant drawbacks when it comes to handling earthquakes. While concrete is strong under compression, it is brittle and cracks easily when subjected to tension, making it unsuitable for the sideways forces caused by earthquakes. Steel reinforcement is often added to help, but poor construction techniques, and low-quality materials still leave many structures vulnerable. Given Pakistan’s history of severe earthquakes, there is an urgent need for construction materials that are not only safer but also more affordable. Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) offers an effective solution. It is designed to bend under pressure, making it very strong against earthquakes. Adopting ECC in high-risk areas like Karachi and northern Pakistan can save lives, protect critical infrastructure, and significantly reduce the cost of rebuilding after disasters.
To address these challenges and make buildings safer, more resilient, and cost-effective, researchers at the NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE) have developed Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) and implement it into buildings. Under the guidance of Dr. Fawad Ahmed Najam, Engr. Umair Jalil Malik focused on the response of ductile materials and structures to seismic excitations. ECC provides a practical solution for building strong and affordable infrastructure that lasts. By reducing damage during earthquakes, it can save lives, lower repair costs, and protect critical buildings such as schools, hospitals, and homes, ensuring safer communities for the future.

What Makes ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composite) Special?
ECC, also called “bendable concrete,” is a unique, fiber-reinforced material that behaves differently from regular concrete. Instead of cracking and breaking under pressure, it bends and absorbs the energy from forces like earthquakes, which helps minimize damage to buildings.
1. Earthquake Resistance:
ECC is designed to bend without breaking, making it much better at handling the energy from an earthquake. Unlike traditional reinforced concrete (RC), which tends to crack and weaken during earthquakes, ECC stays strong and intact even in extreme conditions.
2. Less Steel Needed:
ECC doesn’t require as much steel reinforcement as regular concrete, which saves money. For example:
- Steel use in beams can be reduced by 24%.
- Steel in columns can be reduced by 15%.
- Additional shear reinforcements aren’t needed because ECC is naturally strong enough to handle these forces.
3. Lightweight and Cost-Effective:
ECC is lighter than regular concrete, reducing the overall weight of a building by 22%. This makes buildings not only safer during earthquakes but also more affordable to construct.

Advantages of ECC
1. Enhanced Ductility:
100 times more ductile than regular concrete: This makes ECC highly resistant to cracking and failure, especially in seismic zones.
2. Improved safety:
The ability to bend rather than break means ECC helps make buildings much safer in earthquake-prone areas.
3. Cost-Effectiveness:
- Less steel and concrete are needed: Because ECC is so flexible, less steel reinforcement is required, leading to lower costs.
- Overall savings: ECC can reduce the total cost of construction by 20-30%.
4. Lightweight:
ECC is lighter than traditional concrete, reducing the overall weight on a building and improving its stability.
5. Sustainability:
ECC lasts longer and is less prone to cracking, which means less need for repairs and lower maintenance costs over time.
6. Autogenous Self-Healing:
ECC has a self-healing property, meaning it can repair small cracks on its own, making the structure more durable and longer lasting.
7. Tension Hardening:
Unlike regular concrete, ECC becomes stronger when stretched, which helps prevent cracks and keeps the structure intact.
8. Tight Crack Width Control:
ECC controls crack sizes effectively, which helps protect the building from water and harmful substances that could damage the structure.
Applications
ECC offers a transformative solution for improving Pakistan’s infrastructure. Its applications include:
- Earthquake-Resistant Buildings: Ensures safer homes, schools, and hospitals in seismic zones.
- Critical Infrastructure: Protects essential facilities like power plants and data centers.
- Tunnels and marine structures prone to cracking in harsh conditions.
- Long-span bridges that require flexibility and durability.
By integrating ECC into construction practices, Pakistan can mitigate the devastating impacts of future earthquakes.
Video 1: Video Demonstration of Damage Accumulation during Earthquake in 24th Story Traditional Reinforced Concrete Building and 24th Story Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) Building
Reference
Malik, U. J., Najam, F. A., Khokhar, S. A., Rehman, F., & Riaz, R. D. (2024). Advancing seismic resilience: Performance-based assessment of mid-rise and high-rise engineered cementitious composite (ECC) Buildings. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 20, e02732. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02732
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Mr. Khawar from the Mechanical Testing Lab at the School of chemical and material engineering (SCME) at NUST for helping in conducting uniaxial tensile tests. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to Mr. Aamir A. Ghori (primengg@gmail.com) from Prime Engineering and Testing Consultants Pvt. Ltd for funding this research.
The author is a Lab Engineer at School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE), National University of Sciences and Technology. He can be reached at umalik@nice.nust.edu.pk.
Research Profile: https://bit.ly/4iTpJ9Z
