SEISMIC VULNERABILITY OF INFORMAL CONSTRUCCIONDWELLINGS IN LIMA, PERU: PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS

摘要

This paper describes a study of the structural characteristics and the seismic vulnerability of informalconstruction dwellings in Lima, Peru, where the majority of the houses are built without professionaladvice or quality control. One hundred houses were surveyed in two districts of Lima where informalconstruction is prevalent, in order to gather information on their main architectonical and structuralcharacteristics. A simple analysis revealed that most of them present significant structural deficiencies andthus are seismically vulnerable. The main problems observed were caused by bad quality of construction,poor location, insufficient wall density, and unstable parapets.