Preserving earthquake-resilient traditional buildings in Northern India

In the northern and northeastern hilly regions of India, traditional buildings mainly fall within seismic Zones V and VI, according to the Indian code IS1893 Part 1, 2023. These areas are highly earthquake-prone. Surprisingly, historical research indicates that these centuries-old traditional structures have shown impressive resilience to earthquakes over the years. This paper is dedicated to preserving traditional buildings in earthquake-prone regions by conducting a thorough survey, identifying them, and categorizing them as either resilient or vulnerable structures. Specifically, the paper focuses on resilient structures such as Kath-Kunni, thathara, Assam-type, dhajji-dewari, and taq buildings. Although these structures exhibit seismic resilience, they possess certain vulnerabilities unique to each typology. Given that the study area is classified as highly susceptible to earthquakes by the code, it is crucial to reinforce these vulnerable aspects. Consequently, this paper provides strengthening measures for all these typologies against seismic forces.