University of California, San Diego (UCSD) structural engineers have announced that a violent simulated reproduction of the Northridge earthquake shook a seven-story structure at the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering’s Englekirk Structural Engineering Center, and resulted in only minor cosmetic damage to the building. The experiment, along with earlier shakes, was conducted to test a revolutionary new theory that mid-rise concrete apartment, condominium and hotel structures can be built to survive powerful earthquakes using less steel reinforcement than currently required by California building codes.