Opening of the T-Building - the new city library in the Rikard Benčić complex in Rijeka

The new building of the Rijeka City Library, which with its opening became the largest and most modern library in Croatia, is located in the T-building of the former Rikard Benčić factory. Of the basic building, only the outer walls of the building, which are under the protection of cultural heritage, have been preserved. A new load-bearing reinforced concrete structure was built inside the building, and the old external load-bearing walls are anchored into the new load-bearing structure and will no longer have a load-bearing function, but only a facade function. The facade has the same appearance and decoration as it was originally done in the second half of the 19th century. The load-bearing capacity and strengthening of the foundations were carried out using jet-grouting technology.

The cast iron columns that once decorated the production premises of the Rikard Benčić factory were removed, strengthened and placed back in their original place, where they will serve as load-bearing capacity for the building. Additional wall reinforcements were made by gluing carbon fiber strips on the inside and outside of the walls.