Isabel Córdova

Peruvian engineer who created earthquake-resistant housing for 50,000+ Andean families

Isabel Córdova (b. 1975) revolutionized disaster-resilient construction through her QuakeGuard Foundation, established in 2010 after the 2007 Peru earthquake. Her team developed the Base Isolation System using recycled tires and local materials, reducing construction costs by 30% while withstanding 8.0+ magnitude quakes.

Between 2014-2019, her Build Change partnership constructed 25,000 earthquake-safe homes in Peru and 20,000 in Nepal post-2015 earthquake. Her Community Builder Training program certified 15,000 local artisans in sustainable construction techniques.

In 2018, her modular housing designs were adopted by UN-Habitat's Safe Cities Program, influencing building codes in 12 seismic-risk countries. Her TED Talk 'Engineering Hope' (2017) has over 2M views and inspired similar programs in Indonesia and Haiti.