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SCIENCE & INNOVATION24 SCIENCE & INNOVATION AAC WORLDWIDE %u2022 3.2025Innovative approaches for earthquake-resistant constructions with AACIntegrated RC columns in formwork blocks and new partition wall connectionComprehensive solutions are available to enhance the seismic resilience of load-bearing and non-loadbearing structures made from autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) in earthquake-prone areas. One effective approach is to integrate reinforced concrete columns into AAC formwork blocks at the ends of structural walls. This enhances their load-bearing and deformation capacities. When positioned strategically within the floor plan, these columns strengthen individual walls and contribute to the building%u2019s overall structural integrity by enabling box-like behaviour. This significantly improves the seismic performance of the entire structure without altering conventional masonry construction methods. Furthermore, damage to non-load-bearing partition walls under out-of-plane loading, which was commonly observed in recent earthquakes, can be mitigated by adequately connecting these elements to the floor slabs. The effectiveness of these solutions has already been validated through shaking table tests conducted within the ECORE (Earthquake Efficient and Resilient Concrete Buildings) project. The application and effectiveness of the solutions is demonstrated using a detached house as an example.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Butenweg and Dr.-Ing. Thomas Kubalski, SDA-engineering GmbH, Herzogenrath, Germany Dr. Lorenzo Miccoli, Xella Technologie- und Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Kloster Lenin, Germany Markus He%u00dfe, Xella Baustoffe GmbH, Duisburg, GermanyIntroductionIn recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for modern multi-storey buildings made of autoclaved aerated concrete for economic, spatial, social and urban planning reasons. The construction method of a typical multi-storey building, as shown in Figure 1, requires high levels of structural resistance, fire protection and sound insulation, which must be provided by both load-bearing and nonload-bearing partition walls.Integral solutions are available to meet structural requirements in earthquake-prone areas and improve the seismic performance of load-bearing structures and non-load-bearing walls made of AAC. One effective approach to increase the earthquake resistance of load-bearing structures consisting of shear walls and load-distributing floors with ring beams is to enhance the load-bearing and deformation capacity of the structural walls using integrated reinforced concrete columns. These columns are cast into AAC formwork blocks at the ends of the walls. The targeted and regular arrangement of these additional tension and compression columns in the floor plan increases the load-bearing capacity of the individual walls and achieves greater compactness through the box behaviour of the overall building. Consequently, the seismic resistance of the entire structure can be significantly enhanced without altering the conventional masonry construction process.The increased damage to non-load-bearing partition walls perpendicular to their plane that occurred during the recent earthquakes in Italy and T%u00fcrkiye can be avoided by a rigid connection to the floor slabs. The implementation and design principles of the two solutions, whose effectiveness has already been demonstrated by a shaking table tests as part of the ECORE project [4], are presented below. Finally, an example from practice is used to demonstrate their application.