KASHMIRI ARCHITECTURE AND NEW CHALLENGES

Kashmir is a seismically active area, and earthquakes big and small will continue to occur. It is not possible to predict when and where an earthquake will strike, nor its intensity. It is therefore hoped that this research will be useful to engineers, architects, contractors, masons and people who may be planning to retrofit existing houses and public buildings to reduce their vulnerability to future earthquakes. Furthermore, at this stage of housing rehabilitation in the areas affected by the 2005 earthquake, newly built houses which do not conform to the code requirements for earthquake safety could be made less vulnerable to future earthquakes by applying IS CODES and retrofitting measures. As has been observed in other earthquakes, people are unable to assess the root causes of earthquake destruction. The 2005 earthquake shook the confidence of many Kashmiris in local building materials, and even in the techniques they had been using to build houses for centuries. The immediate reaction has been a strong desire to abandon traditional architecture and building systems and adopt cement- and steel based construction, without understanding the long-term consequences as well as the viability of such introduced systems in the local context. Until very recently, non-local materials did not represent a valid option for local constructions. They were expensive, and their use added logistical complications to the construction process. However, in recent times new materials have made their way into the valleys of Kashmir on account of their favorable economics as well as people's aspiration to modernity. This paper lays general guide lines that would help us in overcoming the new challenges that are posed by new construction materials.