Apartment Blocks in Armenia

( Click on the picture above to see a close up. )

These apartment blocks in Armenia were both made from a structural frame of reinforced concrete with masonry walls between the columns and beams. Many buildings constructed like this suffered damage from the earthquake.

The reinforced concrete frames of newer buildings were generally undamaged while older ones were severely damaged or collapsed (Why?). However, masonry infill walls in both new and old buildings were damaged (Why?). This left many buildings uninhabitable.