USTHB is home to the Built Environment Research Laboratory (LBE), founded in 2000. The LBE operates in the context of numerous national and international projects, with a specific research focus on Earthquake Engineering, Structural Dynamics, Engineering Seismology, Building Materials, Disaster Management, Vulnerability Evaluation and Preservation of Cultural Heritage. The mission of the LBE unit is to conduct research on earthquake risk reduction, building the capacity of practitioners to address seismic risk and serve as a source of consult for the Algerian government and abroad. Currently, the LBE comprises four teams and incorporates 25 researchers (from within USTHB and outside), six with PhDs. The LBE is also active in lobbying for a greater focus on disaster risk reduction initiatives in the country and abroad.

Other activities of the unit include conducting several workshops on assessing seismic vulnerability in several African countries and research on state of risk reduction for UNICEF.