Technical Assistance for the Seismic Safety Improvement Program

The Seismic Safety Improvement Program (SSIP) is designed to support the implementation of the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction by improving seismic safety of schools to reduce damage during earthquakes and by enabling a better use of school buildings as shelters for the general public and as focal points for emergency response after earthquakes.

The Program aims to (i) increase the seismic resilience of the school buildings, (ii) strengthen seismic disaster preparedness and response capacity, (iii) improve supportive policies and systems for seismic risk management and reduction, and (iv) enhance national capacity in executing and implementing the seismic safety investment program.

The project comprised the review of geological, geotechnical, structural and non-structural school design; the assessment of the quality control procedures for strengthening schools’ buildings; spot inspections of the construction of new schools’ buildings; schools’ seismic design endorsements; and the implementation of a personalized training program.

IRD Engineering successfully completed all tasks, providing valuable assistance in enhancing the technical capacity of Armenian Territorial Development Fund Agency (ATDF) to execute and implement the Program.