Better building codes planned for schools

Public buildings such as schools and hospitals will be constructed to higher earthquake-resistance standards, a senior construction official said yesterday.

"We've started research and will draft detailed quake-resistance codes for such buildings," Qi Ji, vice-minister of housing and urban-rural development, told a news briefing organized by the State Council Information Office.

He said the codes will be based on geographic analysis from the State Seismological Bureau and scientific construction methods.