CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

During the 20th century, reinforced concrete brought historical structural systems back into modern times, transforming them into high-performance structures. Reflection on early reinforced concrete structures of two ancient structural systems, the dome and the girder, is presented through two Transylvanian monuments: the reinforced concrete cupola of the Hungarian Theater of Cluj, the earliest structure of this type, and the one-way hollow block slabs of Villa Tataru designed as a duet, by Gio Ponti and Elsie Lazar. Diagnosis and therapy of the hundred-year old, "new" historical structures are described. Uncovering these remarkable, but nearly unknown buildings, the paper intends to contribute to the understanding of cultural heritage and to raise public awareness towards the fundamental principle of UNESCO: "The cultural heritage of each is the cultural heritage of all".