Survival and Sustainability pp 391-400 | Cite as
Mitigation of Seismic Risk on Earthen Buildings
Abstract
Earthen buildings are highly vulnerable to the destructive action of earthquakes, as is tragically revealed by the considerable damage and loss of life that takes place during earthquakes occurring in areas where construction with earth is prevalent. Although many historical earthen monuments have survived strong earthquakes, contemporary vernacular dwellings built with earth have shown extremely poor response in recent earthquakes. Many persons, most of them very poor, have lost their lives due to the collapse of their weak and fragile houses. It is urgent, therefore, to find simple technical solutions to improve the seismic performance of earthen buildings. This paper first describes the seismic response of traditional, unreinforced earthen buildings. It then presents some of the reinforcement techniques developed over more than 35 years of research carried out by the Catholic University of Peru. Finally, it briefly outlines the challenges involved in the dissemination of economical and safe construction techniques, in order to mitigate the risk of earthen buildings in seismic areas.
Keywords
Adobe Construction Earthen Earthquake ReinforcementNotes
Acknowledgements
This article summarizes results obtained through several projects developed by the earthen construction research team at PUCP’s Department of Engineering. The contribution of Julio Vargas, Daniel Torrealva, Francisco Ginocchio, and Gladys Villa-Garcia towards the successful completion of these projects has been invaluable. Mary Hardy and Claudia Cancino, from the Getty Conservation Institute, actively participated in some of the projects described in the paper. Most of the work described here was financed, and thus made possible through grants of PUCP’s Research Office. All the experimental work was performed at the PUCP Structural Lab, and the support of its technical staff is gratefully acknowledged. Last but not least, many students worked hard for many hours to make these projects a reality. These students are Nicola Tarque, Jose Velasquez, Ivonne Madueño, Rafael Aguilar, Maria Angela Astorga, Carlos Iwaki, and Kathya Morales.
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