About the author  ⁄ James P. Mwangi, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.

James Mwangi is the 2017-2018 Simpson Strong-Tie Fellow for Excellence in Engineering with Build Change during his sabbatical year from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo where he is a professor of Architectural Engineering. Through the fellowship, he spent two months in Padang focused on improving school infrastructure in Indonesia. (jmwangi@calpoly.edu)

Improving School Buildings in Indonesia

An International Collaboration

Post-earthquake observations following recent events in Indonesia point to the significant vulnerability of school infrastructure in the country. Build Change is a Denver-based international non-profit social enterprise that works with people in emerging nations to design, build, finance, and regulate disaster-resistant houses and schools. Build Change has a program in Padang, Indonesia, and has responded to eight large earthquakes there since the program’s inception after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. …

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Jan, 2019 By , and In Structural Failures Comments 0

The 2015 Nepal Earthquake

Building Assessment and Masonry Construction Performance

Nepal, located within the subduction zone created by the massive Eurasian tectonic plate to the north and the smaller Indian tectonic plate to the south, has eight of the world’s tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and more than 240 peaks over 20,000 feet dotting the northern region of the country. …

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Aug, 2016 By In Articles, Structural Performance Comments 0
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