A 2.000 m long by 2.400 m high brick wall was coated on both sides with a 14 mm thickness of glass reinforced cement (GRC) and tested by cyclic loading applied as in-plane shear. Additional reinforcement at wall ends served to ensure a shear mode of failure in the wall and the enhancement of total strength resulting from this reinforcement was determined by finite element analysis. Although the wall demonstrated only limited ductile characteristicsf the consistency of maximum strength obtained during cycling in this range was note-worthy. The cost of the GRC coating was estimated, and a value of dependable shear strength is recommended for walls
of aspect ratio less than 0.5.