Statement of Interest: Earthquake Resistance Project - Nepal

This statement of interest expresses a strong desire to contribute to a project focused on optimizing elements within earthquake-resistant construction, particularly in Nepal. The author highlights the significance of resilience in seismic design and the challenges posed by unpredictable ground motions and varying structural element features. Drawing on past experience in civil engineering, including recreational and park design, the author emphasizes the importance of considering non-structural elements and the need for robust structural designs. The statement references the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake, underscoring the effectiveness of reinforced concrete structures and the potential for optimizing seismic-resistant construction techniques. The author expresses interest in identifying areas most vulnerable to seismic effects in Nepal, particularly those with soft alluvial soil near rivers, and leveraging expertise in urban development and site planning. The statement also conveys admiration for the Smart Shelter Foundation's work in Nepal and the government's smart-city initiative. The author emphasizes the importance of horizontal and vertical reinforcement and the potential for comprehensive coverage of horizontal bands and vertical reinforcement optimization. The author concludes by stressing the responsibility of engineers to optimize seismic-resistant construction and expresses enthusiasm for contributing to a project that could transform Nepal and inform other earthquake-prone regions.

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STATEMENT OF INTEREST
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Name:
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Statement of Interest
I have an interest in being part of the project aimed at optimizing the specific elements
within earthquake-resistant construction. In the seismic resistant plan of building structures, the
aspect of resilience continues to be significant and it is highly recommended to design
constructions safely for a wide range of possible earthquake ground motions, which are uncertain
in their properties and occurrence (Kruhl, Adhikari, & Dorka 2018). Therefore, it is challenging
to predict precisely the impending catastrophes in time, character, and space. Moreover, the
features of building structural elements are rarely deterministic and their difference brings
various challenges in the seismic resistant design of construction structures in regards to
redundancy and robustness (Giuliani 2000).
While at Bayside Engineering, I led a team of fifteen people in various tasks including
areas of recreational and park design, resident inspection, as well as street designs. Moreover, the
field of civil engineering has made it possible to engage in urban renewal, highways, bridges,
land development, rapid transit facilities, utility relocations, buildings, sanitary facilities, marine
and port facilities, playgrounds, parks, in addition to site planning. The neglectfulness of the
relation between the resistant building and other non-structural elements in the construction
adjusts the resistance-stiffness relationship of the structural elements (Brebbia 2017). In such a
circumstance, it is probable that the construction does not indicate the resistant capacity
simultaneously as needed during the seismic activity.
Nepal is an area that experiences frequent earthquakes and reinforcing the shelters will be
useful when the region experiences natural disasters. In April 2015, Nepal witnessed an
earthquake that destroyed many buildings (Mallapaty 2015). However, the constructions that had
an adequate structural design, as well as reinforced concrete, survived the disaster. It shows that

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if a shelter is constructed properly, it can possess a high level of seismic resistance. Traditional
houses and buildings made of bricks, stones, or mud-bricks are not strong enough since only
wooden frames support them, unlike the reinforced concrete structures that offer good
performance.
Even though reinforcement of constructions with steel bars had been introduced to Nepal
in the 1970s, it is prudent to find out ways of optimizing the specific elements of the seismic-
resistant construction (Mallapaty 2015). The government introduced rules in Nepal that
recommended standard designs as well as details for reinforced concrete buildings up to three
floors to meet the minimum earthquake safety requirements. Therefore, taking part in such an
important project will be a privilege since several lives will be saved if the proposals of the
venture are implemented. The vulnerability of the buildings often increases through the
construction of story buildings with more than three floors using weak columns with no internal
supporting walls. These are frequently used for commercial purposes like running a shop.
I have an interest in establishing the areas that seismic effects always affect the most in
Nepal, which will be useful in making decisions about the most suitable reinforcement. For
instance, the damages are more localised to regions with soft alluvial soil especially within 300
meters of rivers (Kruhl, Adhikari, & Dorka 2018). Areas around water bodies have thick deposits
of sediments from the lake and streams, which create lower frequency land motion during earth
tremors that can last more than a second, unlike the higher frequency, shorter back-and-forth
trembling (Barberopoulou, Qamar, Pratt & Steele 2006). I strongly feel that the lessons and
expert knowledge I have gained from the different construction phases such as urban
development and site planning will be fed back to this project.

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I have always admired working at Smart Shelter Foundation (SSF) due to its effort in
transforming the construction industry in Nepal. Moreover, the government of Nepal is focusing
on how to build smart-city in the area starting with Kathmandu, which will be made possible
through the success of the project (Ranjit 2014). Therefore, I will be happy engaging with a team
that will transform the future of Nepal by adopting services and amenities of international
standard. There are higher chances that the recommendations made from the project will be
applied and this assurance will help the team to work even harder to accomplish the assigned
tasks.
Reinforced concrete structures are always composed of two different materials including
steel and concrete. Plain concrete is an excellent reinforcement material if compressed. However,
compressing the concrete cylinder or cube requires a relatively high amount of compressive
force before attaining compression failure, and it is weak in tension (Min, Yao & Jiang 2014).
Reinforcing steel has good strength in both tension and compression loads but is costlier than
concrete (Charif, Mourad & Khan 2016). As an engineer, I understand that concrete structures
are essentially designed in such a manner that concrete is primarily used for most of the
comprehensive forces while reinforcing steel is used for all the tensile forces and in some
instances some of the comprehensive forces.
I have been involved in the placement of reinforcement in shear walls while at Bayside
Engineering especially the horizontal and vertical reinforcement. I believe that my experience in
the field will be useful in making the project a success. Amvic polypropylene webs are designed
to secure and accommodate the horizontal reinforcing steel and to hold it in place without
necessarily tying them (Brebbia 2017). On the other hand, vertical reinforcement is often put
after the wall has been stacked and completely erected. The two reinforcements give the

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buildings the required strength and may survive various catastrophes. By considering these two
aspects, the project will comprehensively cover the performance of horizontal bands as well as
optimization of the vertical reinforcements.
In conclusion, constructors should always consider the best designs that will give the
buildings the required strength. Natural disasters should be taken into consideration while
determining the desired reinforcements for constructions. Engineers have a responsibility of
coming up with ways of optimizing particular elements within seismic-resistant construction. I
have an interest in being part of the team that will pioneer a project that may change the face of
Nepal. Besides, the same information may be used by other earthquake-prone areas such as
Japan. I look forward to your response and will be glad to get in touch with the great team at
Smart Shelter Foundation.

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List of References
Barberopoulou, A., Qamar, A., Pratt, T.L. and Steele, W.P., 2006. Long-period effects of the
Denali earthquake on water bodies in the Puget Lowland: Observations and modeling. Bulletin of
the Seismological Society of America, 96(2), pp.519-535.
Brebbia, C. 2017. Earthquake Resistant Engineering Structures XI. Southampton: WIT Press.
Charif, A., Mourad, S.M. and Khan, M.I., 2016. Flexural Behavior of Beams Reinforced with
Steel Bars Exceeding the Nominal Yield Strength. Latin American Journal of Solids and
Structures, 13(5), pp.945-963.
Giuliani, H., 2000, January. Seismic resistant architecture: a theory for the architectural design of
buildings in seismic zones. In Conferencia Mundial (No. 12).
Kruhl, J., Adhikari, R. and Dorka, U. 2018. Living under the threat of earthquakes. Cham:
Springer.
Mallapaty, S. 2015. Reinforced concrete buildings survived Nepal quake. [online] SciDev.Net
South Asia. Available at: https://www.scidev.net/south-asia/disasters/news/reinforced-concrete-
buildings-survived-nepal-quake.html [Accessed 17 Mar. 2018].
Min, F., Yao, Z. and Jiang, T., 2014. Experimental and numerical study on tensile strength of
concrete under different strain rates. The Scientific World Journal, 2014.
Ranjit, A. 2014. The Rising Nepal: Journey Towards Smart City. [online] Therisingnepal.org.np.
Available at: http://therisingnepal.org.np/news/19609 [Accessed 17 Mar. 2018].