Promoting Vernacular Architecture, A Basis for Building Back Safer? A Case Study from Nepal

Abstract

Reconstruction projects must rely on local resources and capacities to effectively reduce inhabitants’ vulnerability on the long run. Vernacular architecture often reveals disaster-resilient strategies that are affordable and accessible to most people. Documenting and validating these practices through scientific research help in promoting them at different institutional and political levels. The work presented in this paper is a first step on the identification of the main factors affecting the incorporation of new practices in local building cultures and on the understanding of the extent to which these practices actually improve inhabitants’ resilience. It results from a comparative study of two reconstruction projects in Nepal on the one hand and on the other hand from the research conducted by 3SR on a technique that is being reincorporated into inhabitants’ building cultures: the regular insertion of seismic bands. The experimental campaign included tests on seismic bands built with different materials and cyclically loaded to assess the energy dissipated by the different configurations. The strong connection between academic and operational settings allowed for a direct contribution to the activities carried out by local stakeholders. Yet, the main factor affecting the people’s acceptance of Building Back Safer (BBS) messages was the official guidelines they had to comply with to get subsidies; but it often resulted in important safety issues as their unaffordability induced improper implementations. Working on social aspects and side by side with local authorities is thus essential to widely implement proper BBS messages.