Implementing Nepal's national building code—A case study in patience and persistence

Earthquake Spectra
By: , and 

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Abstract

The April 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake revealed the relative effectiveness of the Nepal Standard, or national building code (NBC), and irregular compliance with it in different parts of Nepal. Much of the damage to more than half a million Nepal's residential structures may be attributed to the prevalence of owner-built or owner-supervised construction and the lack of owner and builder responsiveness to seismic risk and training in the appropriate means of complying with the NBC. To explain these circumstances, we review the protracted implementation of the NBC and the role played by one organization, the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), in the NBC's implementation. We also share observations on building code compliance made by individuals in Nepal participating in workshops led by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's 2014 class of Housner Fellows.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Implementing Nepal's national building code—A case study in patience and persistence
Series title Earthquake Spectra
DOI 10.1193/121716EQS242M
Volume 33
Issue S1
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher EERI
Contributing office(s) Geologic Hazards Science Center
Description 17 p.
First page S167
Last page S183
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