German archaeological Institute (DAI)

The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning planned the complete renovation of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome. In the course of the construction works, the weaknesses of the existing building were eliminated, the seismic resistance of the structure had to be improved, and the thermal performance needed to be modernized according to the current state of the art.

The key challenge was the seismic upgrading of the existing structure, and therefore appropriate detail solutions were developed. The chosen strategy was, on the one hand, to keep the given stiffness with high periods of vibration to avoid resonance and, on the other hand, to increase strength taking into account the capacity of the existing structures. Extended in-situ inspections, both destructive e nondestructive, ensured all information about the mechanical properties and the details of the existing reinforced concrete structures. Site-Specific Approach for Seismic Design Spectra based on real ground motions fine-tuned the seismic design forces.

Continuous on-site monitoring ensured the quality of the detailed design, which was necessary for all restoration measures of existing buildings.

Bollinger+Grohmann were responsible for the building's physical planning. Hereby, we developped tailored solutions for the acoustics of the building and internal spaces, as well as the thermal insulation and humidity control of the existing facilities.