Traditional construction in high seismic zones: A losing battle? the case of the 2015 nepal earthquake

The 25th of April 2015’s earthquake in Nepal, along with its subsequent aftershocks, left several of the country’s districts with high levels of damage and significant losses. In this context, the present chapter addresses the particular pattern of the damage scenario in the housing sector. The severe impact of the earthquake in traditional constructions is discussed, and compared to that of other construction systems. Earthquake-resistant features of traditional Nepalese construction are discussed along with possible reasons for their inadequate performance in this earthquake. Potential repercussions of the damage sustained by traditional construction systems are also discussed based on the experience of past earthquakes in order to highlight possible threats to their survival during the reconstruction stage.