Possibilities and pitfalls of revitalizing the timber structure of an industrial building from the 19th century from the viewpoint of diagnosis

Abstract

A typical feature of contemporary cities is the permanent shortage of land suitable for residential development inside the city. This leads to attempts in recent years to re-use the so-called Brownfields which have the appearance of the former industrial areas, the buildings of which are mostly far beyond the estimated lifetime. Apart from the standard procedure, i.e. demolition and new construction, it is possible to come across efforts, in recent years, to renovate and newly utilize the existing industrial buildings, some of which have a historical value and considerable design potential for an alternative use. The paper presents a case where an original five-story warehouse building from the mid-19th century should be prospectively used for residential purposes, while maintaining and utilizing, for aesthetic purposes, the timber ceiling structures. The paper describes the procedure of diagnosis of a timber structure and its results, suggesting potential risks of similar renovations where the object of interest has not been used and maintained for a long period of time.A typical feature of contemporary cities is the permanent shortage of land suitable for residential development inside the city. This leads to attempts in recent years to re-use the so-called Brownfields which have the appearance of the former industrial areas, the buildings of which are mostly far beyond the estimated lifetime. Apart from the standard procedure, i.e. demolition and new construction, it is possible to come across efforts, in recent years, to renovate and newly utilize the existing industrial buildings, some of which have a historical value and considerable design potential for an alternative use. The paper presents a case where an original five-story warehouse building from the mid-19th century should be prospectively used for residential purposes, while maintaining and utilizing, for aesthetic purposes, the timber ceiling structures. The paper describes the procedure of diagnosis of a timber structure and its results, suggesting potential risks of similar renovations where the object of interest has not been used and maintained for a long period of time.