Modern Consolidation Solutions for Buildings with Historical Value. Part I: Reinforced Concrete Structures

In western part of Romania, the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century were characterised by a specific way of construction, using reinforced concrete elements, such as slabs, beams, walls and framing. Despite of the reinforced concrete that was used, after earthquakes, historic buildings have recorded important damages, differentiated by the intensity and type of the earthquake. That happened because of the lack of seismic behaviour consideration, so the reinforced concrete that was used didn't work properly. In order to assure the existence of history for the next generations, we need to make sure that we understand the failure mechanisms and that we consolidate the structures based on The Chart of Venice principles. In order to do so, we decided to show some consolidation methods based on natural materials and reversible methods that were used on one reinforced concrete structure in Timisoara, Romania (case study). In Timisoara area there are a lot of similar buildings, so our case study can be used as a model for other buildings with similar problems.