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Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by mbesto on Friday January 17, 2025 @07:57AM (#42737033)
Aside from what others have mentioned - maintenance/upgradability. I own a home in Costa Rica, which is basically all concrete. Try upgrading your building with Cat6 ethernet when you have concrete (vs wood/sheetrock).
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by lousken on Friday January 17, 2025 @07:59AM (#42737053)
European here - it's easy, the solution is called conduit
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by nottorp on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:09AM (#42737144)
Bosch also sells those huge ass drills here that take a few minutes to make a 2-3 cm hole through concrete to pass those conduits between floors/rooms. They're not available in the Americas?
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by mbesto on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:29AM (#42737296)
Patching sheetrock is 10x easier than concrete and looks way nicer. Protruding conduit does not look good.
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by nottorp on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:32AM (#42737318)
Isn't the conduit inside the ... whatever ... plaster? ... you put over the hard concrete wall, I don't know the name in english?

It's definitely not protruding in my home... and it's all conduit in the walls.

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by cwillu on Friday January 17, 2025 @09:31AM (#42737870)
Drywall is common in north america. It's ~1.25m×2.5m×1cm sheets of gypsum sandwiched between a heavy paper, and plaster is only used to bridge the seams. It's almost always screwed down, and adds significant rigidity to a stick-framed wall. Cement walls are often (but not always) finished by stick-framing a false wall and then screwing the drywall to that.
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by twothamendment on Friday January 17, 2025 @09:40AM (#42737965)
I've built three houses in the USA. I don't use conduit everywhere, but have always installed some in places where I think I might want something in the future. I've never regretted it.

Most useful was from my attic (not livable space) up in the trusses to my basement utility room. When I convinced a local WISP to use my roof for a back haul and access for the neighborhood it saved them (and me) from running wires all over the outside of my house and was a quick, clean install.

Conduit is common in commercial work here, but almost never in residential.

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by inemesitaffia on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:30AM (#42737300)
Hiti Diamond Drill