Seismic protection and preservation of the Newari architecture in Nepal

Traditional construction techniques in seismic areas have been characterized, for a long time, by a large variety of structural solutions based on the combined use of masonry and timber elements. Examples of this can be found also in Nepal, where the recent seismic event occurred on April 25th, 2015 has made the analysis of the traditional building technology very urgent. The interest for this comes from the consideration that the Newari vernacular architecture, developed in the Kathmandu valley, presents interesting earthquakeproof structural solutions, very different from the typical timber frame adopted in other nearby regions, like the Kashmir Dhajji-dewari. Through the analysis of the effects produced by the recent earthquake on vernacular structures in Nepal, this research aims at clarifying both the current state-of-the-art and the capabilities of the Newari architecture, which is nowadays subject to the risk of disappearing and needs therefore to be understood in order to preserve its identity and to improve restoration projects.