Ph.D. Candidate: Mr. Hari Darshan Shrestha
The building stock of Kathmandu Valley is characterized by old traditional structures of unreinforced masonry. The principal goal of the study is to investigate the vulnerability of these buildings and to determine the risk scenarios of the region. A simplified method will be developed for quantitative evaluation of buildings with a focus on old dwelling houses. The available qualitative methods may not be suitable for traditional buildings of Nepal. The present study will develop a vulnerability assessment approach to determine the vulnerability of the existing masonry building quantitatively as a function of specific factors: seismicity of the location, configuration and plan of building, alteration of occupancy, repair/maintenance history etc.
A comprehensive inventory of the traditional old masonry buildings of the Bhaktapur city, representing a typical region of the Kathmandu valley will be prepared, based on the inventory and the available literature typical building classification will be defined. The influence of each of the factors in the vulnerability of the building will be worked out. The vulnerability and the classification of the buildings of the city can be extended to a larger area or a region of underdeveloped country where masonry structures dominate the building stock.