Engineering design for dwellings and small housing in seismically active regions of Pakistan : towards a more holistic approach

This paper is an outcome of a 3 year research link programme. Over a period of time several people have contributed towards the development of the ideas. It is difficult to acknowledge all. For the production of this paper Dr Lee Bosher, Dr M.Sohail, Professor Lodi and Professor Rafeeqi have contributed. “Earthquakes don’t kill people: buildings do”1. The earthquake in October 2005 in Kashmir and northern parts of Pakistan once again highlighted the unresolved issue of poor design and quality of buildings, especially non-engineered buildings and infrastructure2. This paper introduces the ‘Holistic Engineering Design’ (HED) project that aims to ensure that best practice in the design and construction of resilient informal (non-engineered) buildings in seismically active areas can be more widely achieved. In doing so, the proposed project will address key questions about the technical, financial and social feasibility of current practice and possible seismic hazard engineering measures; including the potential to learn lessons from traditional construction techniques and ‘professional wisdom’; this is what the authors have referred to as a ‘holistic approach’ to engineering design. This paper highlights the main issues globally regarding the engineering design of dwellings and small housing in seismic zones before defining and considering the case for a more holistic approach in Pakistan.