
Restoration of cultural heritage

Restoration of cultural heritage
Restoration
of cultural
heritage

Construction is an activity that has left a lasting legacy to humanity that we have the opportunity to admire again and again.
Inspired by this very fact, ING-GRAD was founded as a construction company whose activities include specialized works comprised of: restoration and reconstruction of monumental heritage of exceptional historical and artistic significance.
In more than 35 years of work on the restoration and reconstruction of the monumental heritage, we have been using all the advantages of modern construction methods, but also applying unique knowledge based on the techniques, skills and recipes of old crafts.
Most buildings of cultural or architectural heritage are brick buildings built of stone or brick wall elements connected with mortar, usually found in poor condition due to their age and inadequate maintenance. Therefore, before the renovation and final arrangement, it is necessary to carry out constructive restoration. The complexity of the historical buildings restoration requires the incompatibility of traditional and new materials and respect for their original existence, which is why the use of reinforced concrete is not recommended. The most favourable technique for repairing and strengthening such constructions has proved to be injection, i.e., stabilizing and closing cracks in damaged walls by injecting special injection compounds, applying reinforced cement or epoxy coatings on one or both sides of the wall, and pre-tensioning the walls.
Roofs of monumental heritage buildings are usually wooden roofs with different types of covering, depending on the tradition of the climate in which the building is located. The reconstruction of such wooden roofs implies the replacement of individual elements or the complete structure with new wood, most often made of Slavonian oak or conifer, and the replacement of the covers.
The renovation and reconstruction of the building includes the renovation of the external facade, the execution of profiles and stone plastic, the production of wooden joinery and everything that includes the restoration of the historical appearance and original condition. It is done according to conservation guidelines, which is why the restoration and reconstruction of the building is longer and requires specific materials, works and methods of execution.
Investor
Grad Rijeka
Category
Public buildings
The brick building in the former industrial complex "Rikard Benčić" was built at the end of the 19th century as a drying room for the then tobacco factory. After the Second World War, it was repurposed for the needs of the newly founded marine machinery factory "Rikard Benčić". With the collapse of the factory in the 90s of the 20th century, the building was abandoned and left to devastation and decay.
As a part of the city's capital project "Rijeka – European Capital of Culture 2020", the building will be given a new purpose and will become a Children's House – the institution in which the activities and programs related to culture will be brought closer to the youngest population.
The work on the reconstruction of the brick building includes the removal of the entire load-bearing and non-load-bearing structure, except for the four exterior brick walls that make this building recognizable. After assembling the heavy scaffolding and strengthening the external walls, the construction of a new reinforced concrete structure based on the principle of "house within a house" of P + 3 floors is started, which is attached to the existing walls with steel anchors. The fifth floor is constructed as a steel structure with sheet metal cladding. A part of the columns of the original steel load-bearing structure was used in the new construction as a mask for the new load-bearing columns, while the rest was donated to the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka.
The project was co-financed with EU funds.