
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
City of Novigrad
Category
Castels, Palaces and Fortresses
The Novigrad Lapidary with a unique collection of 93 stone monuments from the ancient and medieval periods is located on the ground floor of the Rigo Palace from the 15th to 18th centuries. The most important part of the collection are the early medieval stone monuments, among which Maurici's ciborium from the end of the 8th century stands out. It is one of the rare examples of Carolingian art in this area, which speaks of the role of Novigrad as the seat of the early Frankish administration during the time of Charlemagne, thus testifying to the importance of Istria and Croatia in the Western European context of the time. Bell tower of the parish church of St. Pelagia and Maxim was built by the Giorgia Giurco family business in 1883. This free-standing bell tower is 45 m high and is entirely built of carved stone blocks. In the lower zone, it is broken up by semi-circular doors and strengthened by buttress walls. The body of the belfry is divided by three narrow windows and the quadrant of the city clock and three horizontal cornices. The bell lodge is opened with trifora, and above it rises the pyramidal cap of the belfry modelled after that of St. Mark in Venice. At the very top of the pyramid is the statue of St. Pelagia, installed in 1913, made of wood and covered with bronze sheet.
Scaffolding with a total height of 42 m, the upper 13 m adjusted to the shape of the belfry pyramid, enabled access and restoration of the statue of St. Pelagia on top of the bell tower. The damaged stone blocks of the pyramid crowns were dismantled and replaced with suitable aged blocks, and the weakened places were injected with epoxy injection compound. The outer surfaces of the tower walls are protected with a hydrophobic coating.