Seismic Risk Reduction Implementation for Historic Buildings in Lebanon
July 2024
Lebanon is a high seismic risk area, where multiple large historic earthquakes spanning the prior centuries are documented. The area embodies a long history of civilization with many ancient cities housing many historic buildings. Currently, this heritage stock in Lebanon holds a cultural value for the community and an economic value that needs to be evaluated and preserved. The absence of a powerful earthquake in the most recent decades subsided the sense of risk in the general population. Also, for historic buildings, the loss of traditional construction techniques (embodying knowledge of what historically performed better) has further amplified the issue. The majority of contractors, masons, and craftsmen currently do not possess the knowledge to reduce the seismic risk in these historic buildings. The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has funded a program to improve seismic risk knowledge and develop the capacity of technicians involved in Historic Building preservation. The program includes the preparation of guidelines to guide engineers and architects in the process of evaluating and restoring historic buildings. The guidelines are built off the existing international building codes and have been developed considering the local typologies, materials, and wall properties. In-depth investigations into the unique construction technique were undertaken, more specifically relating to the period between the 1800s and 1950s. The specific technique of workmanship of stone walls is found and recorded, which leads to a specific seismic vulnerability. The development of the technical capacity also includes the training of engineers on the use of the guidelines with specific lessons on the contents and practical examples. To aid the authorities in rapid damage assessment and identification a specific application for smartphones has been developed. This will collect the buildings’ information for establishing a database of building stock and can be used for rapid assessment in response to an earthquake event.
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