A sustainable re-construction method for seismic-prone heritage areas of Gujarat (India) based on advanced recording technologies
In response to the challenges in post-earthquake housing reconstruction of heritage areas of Gujarat (India), the project will develop a faster, affordable and scalable method of re-construction based on state-of-the-art LiDAR technologies to break the unsustainable cycle of buildings' replacement and subsequent loss of heritage, involving local people and communities.
| Despite the periodic recurrence of earthquakes, most actions are predominantly focused on post-event response and there is little emphasis on developing proactive risk reduction measures. Moreover, damaged dwellings cannot be immediately repaired and retrofitted to continue their inhabitation. Repairs are usually costly and large numbers of affected structures make damage assessment a difficult exercise. Also, recovery of heritage is not often a priority after earthquakes and therefore left unattended for a long time, until specific solutions are developed. In India, after the 1993 and 2001 earthquakes, the historic villages of Killari and Adhoi, amongst many others, were abandoned, and sometimes even destroyed, and their population was relocated to new settlements that were culturally incompatible. This project addresses heritage conservation and post-disaster reconstruction by offering a digital platform based on the LiDAR record to enable comprehensive damage assessment, and design of solutions for repair, retrofitting, reuse and disaster mitigation of housing, while virtually preserving the record of living heritage and facilitating community empowerment. The findings will help to critically evaluate the previous experiences of post-earthquake reconstruction, enhancing the number and quality of heritage buildings conserved, mitigating risks to these buildings and human lives, and improving public policies. |
Project Details
Location: Gujarat, India, Southern Asia, Asia
Organiser(s):
Centre for Architecture Urbanism and Global Heritage, Nottingham Trent University
Project partner(s): Centre for Heritage Conservation, CRDF, in India. ICCROM in Italy. Hunnarshala Foundation in India
Funder(s):
Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)
Funding received: £126,818.00
Commencement Date: 11/2020
Project Status: Active
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