This report presents a strategy to mitigate seismic risk with low-cost engineering solutions considering how the shortcomings of the poorly built informal masonry houses in Malawi affect their seismic response and failure modes.
Formal and informal settlements in Salima are surveyed, and experimental works are carried out on local masonry and typical mortars adopted in the construction practice.
The effectiveness of different mitigation solutions for enhancing the seismic resilience in Salima is discussed and evaluated by comparing the building performance before and after the retrofitting measures are applied to the existing houses.