3.2 Literature review

3.2 Literature Review

Earthquakes are natural disasters that have been researched for many years now. Humans have been able to identify the phenomena of tectonic plates, epicenters, and the causes of their movement. But, till today we cannot accurately predict the occurrence of earthquakes. The disaster is sudden and unexpected. Saving human lives is the priority after a disaster and most of the deaths occur due to poor performance of the built structures. The Kyoto Declaration 2005 states that “cultural heritage is a priceless and non-renewable asset, and it is our duty to raise awareness and undertake all necessary measures for protection of cultural heritage from disasters.” The literature review focuses on the understanding of the disaster, local seismic cultures around the world, previous research on pol houses, and conservation strategies with the lens of seismic resilience. The research domain was divided into three keywords which formulated the area of study • EARTHQUAKES • AHMEDABAD • POL HOUSES A lot has been researched and studied on the above three topics individually, hence it was important to fragment the study and then combine and relate with each other. The aim of the study was articulated as “critically understanding the pol houses which are situated in Ahmedabad with the lens of earthquake resilience, that would contribute to the field of conservation.”

Hence, the literature study was divided into 6 major aspects –1. Establishing the rationale (Fundamental study) 2. Traditional seismic resistant building practices 3. Seismic resilience in Indian context and Bhuj earthquake (Background study) 4. Current scenario 5. Approaches for structural conservation 6. Urban seismic risk evaluation