Qualifying the earthquake resilience of vernacular masonry buildings along the Himalayan arc

Abstract

Vernacular masonry building types located along the Himalayan arc and incorporating specific earthquake-resilient features have exhibited good seismic performance in past earthquakes. Such buildings are a manifestation of a culture of seismic awareness that developed in these communities over the centuries in response to the local technological, socio-cultural, economic, and environmental contexts. This culture of seismic awareness has eroded in recent years due to socio-economic pressure associated with a desire for modernity of construction. To identify an appropriate balance between traditional and modern construction materials and practices, thereby enabling greater resiliency to the peril of earthquakes in the Himalayas, it is essential to understand the positive and negative attributes of earthquake-resilient vernacular masonry building types. Presented herein is an overview of the identified earthquake-resilient vernacular masonry building types located along the Himalayan arc, as well as an evaluation of the seismic resilient features of these buildings in the context of modern seismic design requirements. The work presented herein shows that earthquake-resilient buildings are feasible when constructed of locally available materials such as stone, mud, and timber, and when using traditional construction techniques, provided that the identified earthquake-resilient features are properly implemented.