NBRO Newsletter | Volume 18

NBRO Newsletter | Volume 18 | Issue 01

ABOUT US.....

National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) is a leading research & development institution in the country and a reputed technical services provider in the fields of geotechnical engineering, landslide risk management, human settlements planning, environmental monitoring, building materials research, and engineering project management.

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DEAR READERS...

We are proud to welcome you to read the NBRO Newsletter which covers the Key activities initiated by National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) during the during the first half of the year 2023.

Over the past thirty five years, NBRO provided a platform to policy makers, professionals, scholars and practitioners to discuss and share their views and experiences on emerging building technologies, settlement planning, and Disaster Risk Reduction. As such, this year also NBRO engaged in numerous research and development activities which aimed at creating a safer built environment.

Further, as a leading institute in Sri Lanka, NBRO provides consultancy services and testing, analysis services, structural and construction project management in the fields of environment studies and services, building material research and testing, and geotechnical engineering.

Hence, we are happy to invite you to join hands with NBRO by the means of R&D or collaborative consultancy works for creating a safer built environment.

This Newsletter presents a myriad of articles on the subjects of DRR, resilient housing, building materials, and sustainable environment etc. We sincerely hope that the readers will enjoy reading this edition of Newsletter. We welcome your feedback and ideas for future actions of NBRO.

Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena
Director General

INTRODUCING GEOAi LAB

Revolutionising Resilient & Sustainable Built Environment

by the Human Settlement Planning and Training Division (HSPTD)

Geospatial & Intelligence Laboratory (GEOAi Lab) at the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) is making waves in the field of resilient and sustainable built environment. Under the astute leadership of Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena, Director General of NBRO, the GEOAi Lab comprises an impressive team of Geospatial and Remote Sensing Analysts, Cartographers, Visualization Experts, IT & Database Administrators, and Software Developers/Programmers, trained in geomatics, geography, statistics, computer science, and engineering.

The GEOAi Lab's cutting-edge services have been of garnering attention both locally and internationally. Among its remarkable offerings are drone-based geospatial data acquisition, processing, and analysis. Leveraging state-of-the-art drone technology, the team is able to collect precise geospatial data, providing critical insights for various projects.

EMPOWERING LANDSLIDE RESILIENCE

Embracing the Smart Office Concept for Effective Risk Management

"Over the last two decades, landslides have become the most prominent hazard in the central highlands of the country bringing about huge life and property losses. As a result, role of NBRO has become increasingly important, and the growing workload has made NBRO feel the need for an easily manageable, operational and documentation system. To cater the said requirement, an Information Management System by the name of LIMS (Landslide Information Management System) has been recently developed by the LRRMD."

National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) operating under the purview of Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Defence, stands as a premier institute reputed for its work related to research, development, technical consultancy and testing services. Equipped with a skillful staff inclusive of many geologists, it is also the pioneering institute for landslide research and risk management in the country to date, and the Landslide Research & Risk Management Division (LRRMD) has been the powerhouse and driving force behind NBRO in the endeavor. Amongst the multiple tasks performed by NBRO in this regard are landslide hazard zonation mapping, field investigations, issuance of early warning, creating awareness, developing safe construction guidelines, landslide risk mapping, land-use planning, policies development and structural mitigation of landslides. In addition, the LRRMD also provides the unique service of performing all kinds of landslide investigations/risk assessments and issuing clearance for construction/development plans in landslide prone areas.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL BUILDING CODE FOR SRI LANKA

During the stakeholder consultation programme

"Development of a unified national Building Code for Sri Lanka has been identified as a priority in order to make sure a safer and a disaster resilient built environment in the country."

Government of Sri Lanka lead by the Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA), National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and Urban Development Authority (UDA) is in the process of development of a Unified National Building Code for Sri Lanka under the Technical Assistance of the World Bank.

Accordingly consultation program of key professional institutions was held successfully on 18-05-2023 at NBRO auditorium with the participation of the representatives from CIDA, NBRO, UDA, Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA), Institute of Town Planners Sri Lanka (ITPSL), Society of Structural Engineers Sri Lanka (SSESL) and Sri Lanka Geotechnical Society (SLGS).

Subsequently, a technical mission including a two days stakeholder workshop and a focus group discussion was held successfully on 21st and 22nd of June 2023 at the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka with the participation of built environment stakeholders representing key public agencies, professional institutions and private sector.

During the stakeholder workshop

During the stakeholder workshop

BUILD BACK BETTER SRI LANKAN LIVES
with the ICL-SATREPS Project

Japanese researchers during the installation of meteorological observation equipments

"Sri Lanka of the need for an advanced early warning system and proactive disaster management mechanism to build back better the Sri Lankan lives"

Due to hydro-meteorological risks, global climate change and extreme rainfall occurrences have escalated into major problems across the globe. These tragedies have a tremendous impact on both the number of lives lost and the quality of those human lives. Recent calamities caused by RRLLs (rain-induced rapid long-travelling landslides), like the Aranayaka incident in 2016, Swallowed 125 lives and the Athweltota RRLL disaster also occurred in 2017, resulting in 9 fatalities. This resulted from the presence of this concealed unstable soil mass and the fact that the run-out distance is unpredictable and impossible to stop once it begins to slide, both of these incidents served as a reminder to Sri Lanka of the need for an advanced early warning system and proactive disaster management mechanism to build back better the Sri Lankan lives. The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) and International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) jointly launched the SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) project in 2020 to begin this massive paradigm in adaptation to climate change and develop the assessment of disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Laksiri Indrathilaka - Senior Geologist at NBRO delivering a lecture

EXPLORING SYNERGIES

Naval & Maritime Academy's Civil Engineering Mechanics Embark on

a Transformative Environmental and Educational Excursion to NBRO

On May 11, 2023, a group of officers and sailors enrolled in the Petty Officer qualifying course at the Naval & Maritime Academy in Trincomalee embarked on a visit to the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO). The purpose of their visit was to gain insight into the various divisions housed within NBRO.

The participants were first given several lectures on NBRO's role in DRR. They learned about the organization's history, its mandate, and its various programs and projects. They also learned about the importance of DRR and the role that NBRO plays in helping to build a more resilient Sri Lanka. During this visit, the participants were granted the unique opportunity to explore NBRO's state-of-the-art ISO Standard laboratories, including the Building Material and Testing Laboratory, Geo-Technical Engineering Laboratory, and Environment Studies and Service Laboratory. This hands-on experience allowed them to witness firsthand the exceptional laboratory services provided by NBRO.

Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena exchaching the MOU with Mr. Dennis Mombauer

NBRO AND SLYCAN TRUST SIGN MOU

to collaborate on Climate Change and Settlement Adaptation and Building Resilience

The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) and SLYCAN Trust, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on a range of issues related to climate change, sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, and other related thematic areas.

The MOU was signed by Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena, Director General of NBRO, and Dennis Mombauer, Director of SLYCAN Trust, on May 10, 2023. The purpose of the MOU is to provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the parties in areas of common interest related to climate change, landslide risk, human mobility, loss and damage, sustainable development, resilience-building, economic empowerment, stakeholder engagement, and related thematic areas.

MANUAL RAIN GAUGES DEVELOPED BY NBRO

"Manual rain gauges were initially imported from foreign countries, but with the current import limitations and foreign exchange challenges within the country, it is increasingly challenging future imports as well. With this context, NBRO began designing and manufacturing of manual rain gauges in the NBRO that meet the required standards and highest quality."

Sri Lanka is recognized as vulnerable to climate change impacts, ranked 100th of 181 countries in the 2017 ND-GAIN Index. Unpredictable variability of rainfall patterns in the country could probably be due to global climate change with the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events. Floods, landslides, and drought are causing significant human, environmental, and economic losses which seriously affect the GDP of the country hence, there is an urgent need and essential requirement of reducing human and economic damages by managing these disaster risks in the country through early warning based on reliable rainfall prediction.