Paris, November 14 (No.2000-118)- "Earthquake Safe: Lessons to be Learned from Traditional Construction" is the subject of an international conference organised by UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Turkish Ministry of Culture, in Istanbul from November 16 to 18, on the seismic performance of traditional buildings.

Recent earthquakes, notably in Turkey, have shown that traditional monuments and buildings were more resilient to tremors than most modern constructions in reinforced concrete. This is why UNESCO, ICOMOS and the Turkish Ministry of Culture are organising this Conference which will enable experts from all over the world to compare and exchange their analyses and experience regarding traditional construction techniques and materials in high earthquake risk areas and compare them to modern building techniques.

Subjects to be discussed include: traditional vs. modern construction; sustainable use of existing building stock; assessment of existing buildings; retrofitting existing buildings for improved earthquake performance; simple solutions and simple rules for new construction; government initiatives and structural factors in industry.

Experts - architects, construction engineers, representatives of engineering firms - from more than twenty countries from different regions will discuss the utilisation of timber and masonry structures and of highly traditional materials such as mud alongside, and as substitutes for, steel, reinforced concrete and modern techniques.