Building on tradition: Optimizing dry stone masonry for earthquake resistance in Pakistan

Northern Pakistan's mountainous regions, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu Kashmir, are among the most seismically active in South Asia. Traditional rural housing in these areas-often built with dry stone masonry and mud mortar-reflects generations of vernacular knowledge but lacks seismic resilience. Modern construction methods are rarely adopted due to cost, inaccessibility, and lack of construction skills. This project explores a hybrid, locally adapted retrofitting strategy that builds on traditional techniques, integrating them with modern tools and analyses. We aim to combine: (1) optimized stone placement; (2) optimized timber reinforcement; and (3) digital twinning. The ongoing exploration phase of Tech4Dev programme (May-August 2025) focuses on community co-design. Activities include stakeholder workshops, field surveys, and collaborative workshops in partnership with UET Peshawar and Sarhad Rural Support Programme. Our aim is to develop retrofit solutions that are not only technically sound, but also economically viable, environmentally lowimpact, and culturally accepted. By aligning innovation with tradition, this project seeks to create a replicable model for seismic risk reduction in rural mountainous areas.