Damage characteristics and seismic capacity of buildings during Nepal Ms 8.1 earthquake

The extensive damage to buildings caused by the Nepal Ms 8.1 earthquake has attracted much attention by the international community. After the preliminary scientific investigations on the different affected areas in Nepal, the construction and damage characteristics of five different types of buildings commonly existing in Nepal were discussed and the reasons of their disaster performance were analyzed. Types of buildings investigated include reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures, rubble structures, brick-wood structures, raw soil structures, and brick-wood structures of historic buildings. In addition, the weak links of the seismic design were pointed out, which was very important for the post-earthquake reconstruction and recovery, and gave a preliminary explanations for the damage experienced.