Analysis of Seismic Retrofitting in Heritage Buildings: Techniques and Conservation Interventions

Journal: Architecture Engineering and Science DOI: 10.32629/aes.v2i3.460

Mohammad Arif Kamal1, Tejwant Singh Brar2

1. Architecture Section, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
2. Shushant School of Art & Architecture, Shushant University, Gurgaon, India

Abstract

Earthquakes result in major structural damage or outright collapse of buildings. Recent earthquakes have shown that historic buildings retrofitted to withstand earthquakes survive better than those that have not been upgraded. India is a country with a rich architectural and cultural heritage with a large number of religious and secular buildings dating back to the 2nd century BC. Heritage buildings are especially vulnerable in case of an earthquake. If once they are lost a part of our history is lost forever. Although heritage buildings can be retrofitted to survive earthquakes, many retrofit practices damage or destroy the very features that make such buildings significant. So there is a need to conserve these buildings following the International Venice Charter issued in 1966 to regulate the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites worldwide. This paper studies the various aspects of seismic retrofitting of heritage buildings, new techniques being evolved worldwide, and also discusses preservation issues and scenarios of heritage conservation in India.

Keywords

seismic retrofitting, heritage buildings, techniques, architectural conservation

References

[1] Agarwal, P. and Shrikhande (2011). Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, PHI Publishers, India
[2] Arnold, C., Eisner R. K. & Elsesser E. (1992). Buildings at Risk: Seismic Design Basics for Practicing Architects. AIA/ACSA Council on Architectural Research, Washington, DC.
[3] Cox, R. S. (2001). Controlling Disaster: Earthquake-Hazard Reduction for Historic Buildings, National Trust for Historic Preservation Washington, DC.
[4] David W. Look, AIA, Terry Wong, PE, & Sylvia Rose Augustus (1998). The Seismic Retrofit of Historic Buildings. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
[5] ICOMOS, (2011). The Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments – 1931, https://www.icomos.org/en/167-the-athens-charter-for-the-restoration-of-historic-monuments
[6] Langenbac R. (2001). Unesco Mission to Gujarat, India, for the Conservation of earthquake-damaged Cultural Properties, Heritage And Conservation Division New York. retrieved from https://www.conservationtech.com/india-UNESCO/UNESCO-report.htm on 2 February 2021.
[7] Thakkar, S. K. and Dubey, R. N (7th – 18th July 2003). Short Term Course on Earthquake Resistant Design and Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete Buildings, I.I.T. Roorkee, Roorkee.

Copyright © 2021 Mohammad Arif Kamal, Tejwant Singh Brar

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License