You are kindly invited to a seminar organized by the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design.
Speaker: Dr. Martijn Schildkamp
Title: “Smart Shelter Concepts – A call to Action”
Date: March 17, 2023, Friday
Time: 12.30 pm -1.20 pm
This is a hybrid event. To obtain online meeting details please send a message to department.
Abstract:
Earthquakes, cyclones and floods have devastating effects on communities. Due to insufficient knowledge and resources, combined with non-availability or enforcement of clear technical guidelines and up-to-date codes, inferior practices remain to be the standard in many regions worldwide. How can we progress beyond this current situation?
One approach is to investigate, improve and (re-)introduce natural materials and vernacular techniques. History shows that traditional techniques (for example hımış) often behave better in earthquakes than modern buildings. In meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to promote nature-based materials and techniques (wood, stone, earth) as compared to heavily polluting materials (concrete, steel). This can be combined with any concept and discipline related to architecture, interior design and engineering, such as recycling, energy, cultivation, water, sanitation and so on. In a joint and multi-disciplinary effort, designers and engineers must take a leading role in creating sustainable and resilient living environments for a safe and healthy future.
Bio:
Martijn Schildkamp is founder and director of three Smart Shelter divisions. He is an architect and engineer with over 10 years of on-site design and building experience on various pre- and post-disaster projects in Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Indonesia. He holds a PhD in Engineering (Nagoya University, Japan) on the topic of “seismic behavior of nominally reinforced rubble stone masonry buildings”, for which he did most of his research in Italy and Portugal; and defended at Nagoya University in Japan in 2021. As a follow-up project, currently 25 masonry experts from all over the globe are fully assessing two case study buildings in rubble stone masonry for the Himalayan context.