The World Housing Encyclopedia (WHE) is a collection of resources related to housing construction practices in the seismically active areas of the world. The mission is to share experiences with different construction types and encourage the use of earthquake-resistant technologies worldwide.

To learn more:

• Check out the Construction Intros section for basic information about major construction types found around the world and typically used for housing.
• View profiles of housing types, explore our Housing Reports database, with over 170 housing profiles from more than 45 countries, all written by architects or engineers. Reports include over 60 different questions that address architectural and structural features, socioeconomic characteristics, seismic features, performance in past earthquakes, codes and construction practices, and known seismic strengthening techniques used in a particular country.
• Consult our Tutorials section for step-by-step guides for building earthquake-resistant dwellings. The tutorials serve as online resources of techniques leading to improved earthquake performance and low-cost techniques to strengthen existing buildings in high seismic hazard areas. Most of the tutorial pages also contain additional material on the construction technology, including videos of tests and additional resource material.

All of the content on this site has been contributed by volunteers. If you are interested in writing a housing report, tutorial, or have any other ideas for content, please write to us.