Retained by the UN Development Programme and the Government of Nepal to design/prototype seismically sound housing in remote high elevation regions after the 2015 Gorka Earthquake, funded by DIFID and ECHO.  Headquartered in Katmandu, and in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders, De Burgh led an international team of 28 architects, engineers, and logistics professionals based in California, NYC and Switzerland.  Selected due to the firm’s familiarity with the country and its building traditions, De Burgh revolutionized gabion technology to create the world’s 1st 2-story gabion building.  Designed after extensive research and interviews with local inhabitants to ensure the design was in accordance with indigenous lifestyle and aesthetics, the design lowered construction costs by 60% compared to typical concrete methods, used rubble from destroyed buildings as its principal material, and was based on existing workforce capacity to maximize local employment.  The design was endorsed by the UN, the Govt of Nepal, USAID.