Heritage structures, by their very nature and history (material and assembly), present specific challenges in diagnosis, analysis and rehabilitation, which limits the application of modern codes and building standards.

In this particular market, Freyssinet is seen as a provider of high-quality reinforcement and preservation solutions that few other companies are able to design and deliver.

  • Types of structures

    Historical buildings
    Masonry bridges
    Castles
    Churches
    Convents
    Crypts
    Fortifications, Archaeological sites

Our guiding principles

Heritage structures are considered to be existing structures with significant cultural value. They are mostly made of masonry or timber, sometimes of concrete or steel, and with elements in steel or iron.
Their structural rehabilitation is, usually, motivated by one or more of the following circumstances:

  • The existence of visible defects
  • Damage after a particular event (earthquakes, flooding, fires, etc)
  • The change of use for more severe conditions or the change of regulations

Their rehabilitation or restoration has major implications from an architectural, historical, structural, economic and social point of view, and implies the respect of very strict guiding principles.

It is essential to ensure that the structural elements are capable of supporting the loads they may have to carry. When in action on the site, the contracting company should be able to respect the structural safety at all times.

Often when there are superficial cracks in a heritage building, temporary patches are done with the aim of not disturbing the structure too much. However, these superficial cracks can indicate a much deeper problem with the foundation or structural damage, needing major repairs rather than simple patches.

Many heritage buildings feature building materials that have not been used in over a century. Such materials are not designed to withstand the abuse that contemporary physical and chemical construction tools cause. In many cases, these building materials are also irreplaceable.

The architectural style and integrity of the structure need to be maintained carefully. It is nearly impossible to avoid all additions, but they should be minimal – for example, retaining as much historic timber as possible, minimising the introduction of supportive structures, selecting the most similar materials, considering their access on site, etc.

The solution implemented must be adequate and conform to current standards, but aesthetically and architecturally elegant and neat or invisible.

Modifications and additions should also be reversible without damaging the structure.

Full service  

Assistance with diagnosis

Experts responsible for the safety evaluation of heritage structures need to weigh information from various diagnosis activities before deciding the best course of action for preservation. Typical sources of information are historical and in situ surveys and inspections, minor and non-destructive testing, structural health monitoring, and structural analysis, among others.

If they are involved upstream, Freyssinet engineers make a significant contribution to the work of this multidisciplinary team, providing their knowledge of how structures work and of repair and strengthening methods.

Assistance with structural analysis and design

The design of intervention should be based on a clear understanding of the kinds of actions that were the cause of the damage and decay as well as those that are taken into account for the analysis of the structure after intervention; because the design will be dependent upon them.

Our structural engineers are at the disposal of engineering companies to assist them in the analysis and design of the structure.

Definition of the repair or strengthening strategy

Freyssinet has developed a range of specific products and technologies to strengthen and repair heritage structures, whether they are made of wood, brick, stone, steel or concrete. These products are based on technical specifications, established by Freyssinet’s technical department. These specifications are validated regularly by an inspection agency.

Execution of works

At Freyssinet, structural repair is an activity in its own right. This is why we have dedicated teams in each country where we operate. Our teams are fully aware of the practices involved in heritage worksites:

  • keeping intervention to the minimum and use of safeguard systems to guarantee safety and durability with the least harm to heritage values,
  • preference given to the least invasive techniques,
  • preference for repair over replacement, and for “reversible” measures,
  • attention to the compatibility of new materials with existing materials,
  • documentation of all activities to preserve them as part as the history of the structure.

Our solutions and technologies for heritage structures

Timber and wooden structures (solid or glulam) Masonry structures Concrete structures Steel structures
Preparation
  • Cleaning, sanding and stripping
  • Cleaning (micro abrasive blasting, cryoblasting, etc)
  • Cleaning (hydroblasting, cryoblasting, etc)
  • Hydrodemolition
  • Sampling and testing campaigns
  • Cleaning

 
Repair
  • Patch repair (resins)
  • Shoring systems
  • Reconnection of cracked sections, restoration of monolithism
  • Delamination repair
  • Recovery of lost elements
  • Damage restoration
  • Shoring systems
  • Crack sealing
  • Injections
  • Injections
  • Patch repairs (cement mortar)
  • Replacements
Strengthening
  • Active tie rod reinforcement
  • Additional prestressing
  • Bottom and upper inertia reinforcement
  • Lateral beam reinforcement
  • New self-supporting slabs
  • Passive and active reinforcements (internal and external)
  • Composite materials
  • Dry sprayed concrete
  • Abutments
  • Composite materials
  • Dry sprayed concrete
  • Structural repair mortar spraying
  • Additional prestressing
  • UHPC
  • Passive steel reinforcement
  • Composite materials
  • Additional prestressing
  • Passive steel reinforcement
  • Metal arches with concrete beams
Protection
  • Preventive and curative treatments
  • Treatments
  • Corrosion  protection of rebars
  • Cathodic protection
  • Waterproofing
  • Impregnations & coatings
  • Corrosion protection
  • Fire protection
General services, regardless of the base material Condition assessment, Work in challenging environments, Platforms and means of access, Demolition, Asbestos removal, Construction methods, Operations with hydraulic equipment, Seismic isolation, Structural modifications, Substitutions, Improvements, Underpinning, Energy efficiency

Repair

Timber structures
Repair

Concrete restoration
Repair

Structural strengthening
Repair

Corrosion protection
Repair

Seismic retrofitting
Repair

Timber structures
Repair

Concrete restoration
Repair

Structural strengthening
Repair

Corrosion protection
Repair

Seismic retrofitting

Our references

Consolidation of Santa Maria de Los Reyes convent, Sevilla, Spain
Consolidation of Santa Maria de Los Reyes convent, Sevilla, Spain

Stop the deterioration process
Reinforce structural elements
Upgrade some spaces to standards.

Convent built between the 17th and 19th centuries, partially refurbished in 1992 and used for exhibitions and conferences.

/ Solutions provided:

  • Consolidation of foundations
  • Structural stabilization of masonry walls (lime and fiberglass)
  • Reinforcement of the wooden structure
  • Roofing and cladding works
  • Plumbing, electricity, air conditioning and ventilation

Renovation and change of use

Renovation of a freight warehouse at  Austerlitz station designed by Eugène Freyssinet in 1927-1929, to convert it into a building (Station F) housing start-up companies

/ Solutions provided:

  • Structural measurements based on historical plans, and modelling to obtain all measurements
  • Structural and material diagnostics
  • Concrete surveys and purging of damaged concretes
  • Cryogenic concrete blasting
  • Concrete repairs
  • Reconstitution of mullions
  • Crack seaming with carbon fiber fabric reinforcement
  • Protection of concrete

See video on Freyssinet YouTube Channel

Renovation of Freyssinet Hall, Paris, France
Renovation of Freyssinet Hall, Paris, France
Maintenance of San Jordi bridge, Alicante, Spain
Maintenance of San Jordi bridge, Alicante, Spain

Maintenance and repair of defects

Bridge built between 1925 and 1931 in the art-deco style, used as a public road.

/ Solutions provided:

  • Hydro-cleaning and sandblasting
  • Concrete passivation and recovery of volumes
  • Anti-carbonation coating
  • Treatment of metal railings
  • Restoration of lighting system

Strengthening and major seismic upgrade

130 years old brick building damaged by an earthquake in November 2016.

/ Solutions provided:

  • 46 11.2m long Freyssibar, anchored within the brick wall in the basement floor.
  • 1.2m of each bar grouted to act as a dead end anchorage.
  • All bars stressed and grouted subsequently under completion.
Strengthening of a 130-year old building in Wellington, New Zealand
Strengthening of a 130-year old building in Wellington, New Zealand
Kettering & Wellingborough canopy, cast iron roof refurbishment, Northamptonshire, UK
Kettering & Wellingborough canopy, cast iron roof refurbishment, Northamptonshire, UK

Cast iron roof refurbishment

Due to the railway, electrification, the canopies overhanging the track had to be carefully removed and replaced with a look-alike shorter arm, under short night closures (4-6 working hours).

/ Solutions provided:

With the arm removed the remaining roof now lacked the counter-balancing effect of the cantilever.

Consequently, before an arm could be removed, it has been necessary to install temporary supports in such a way as to not interrupt the flow of passengers during the day.

Repair
Romania

Bucharest City Hall seismic protection

Bearings and dampers designed for seismic protection of an historic building in the city of Bucharest were so large they had to be shipped to a specialist laboratory in the USA to be tested.
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Repair
Spain

CACI factory structural strengthening

Refurbishment and structural strengthening of a reinforced concrete factory built in 1899 using the system pioneered by French engineer François Hennebique with the aim of adapting the plant to fulfil the client's new requirements.
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Repair
France

Elbeuf church

Part of the old plaster vaults of a Norman church was reinforced using resin concrete and carbon fiber fabrics bonded on both sides of the vault by carbon braids.
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Repair
New Zealand

Auckland heritage building reinforcement

An eye for detail and command of technology were key to ensuring that a major project to create a railway tunnel below one of Auckland’s historic buildings was completed without a hitch.
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Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Torre La Calahorra, Spain
Puente viejo de Deba, Spain
Baños Árabes de Baza, Spain
Ciudadela Sant Andreu, Rosas, Spain
Perret tower, France / @FrancisVigouroux
Lauriers Castle, France
Chapel Jeanne d'Arc, Nice France ©Lisa_RICCIOTTI
Panthéon, Paris, France
Pierrefonds castle, France

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