With over 600,000 homes that must be rebuilt all across the country, PNMF is collaborating with UNM4Nepal, UNM’s Nepal Study Center, the Nepal Engineering College to design an affordable, sustainable, locally-sourced, and earthquake-resistant structure that can provide long-term shelter and safety in impoverished, rural villages.

Knowing that this structure has been designed around the potential for future earthquakes will help give a traumatized population a sense of physical and psychological security. We will promote sustainability by emphasizing education and training of local volunteers so that communities can replicate and adapt our design.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the development, testing, and dissemination of housing designs for affordable, sustainable, locally-sourced, and earthquake-tested structure that can provide long-term shelter and safety in impoverished, rural villages.  This is one of many technologies that will be designed and tested as a part of the Sustainable Technology and Innovation Lab of the Polytechnic College (PNMHI) in collaboration with the national and international partners.  Sustainable living options including solar lighting, improved cooking stoves to cut indoor pollution, water filter, rain catchment, and bio-gas are also being explored.