Masonry structures have been prevalent during most of the civilized history of mankind. The materials used to construct masonry structures were easily available and, in some cases, it didn't require much workmanship or special conditions to produce them. Such was the case of adobe bricks which were sundried. In Albania, before reinforced concrete became the default construction material, unreinforced and confined masonry buildings were designed and constructed during the 1960-1990 all over the country, using some standard floor plans. However, after 1990 Albania has undergone some very turbulent decades politically and economically, during which time the rule of the law was not very firm. During this time control over new construction and modifications done to existing construction have not been over very rigorous. This has resulted in a building stock that is highly unregulated, uncontrolled and often does not meet the required standards. There a general lack of technical information of the material properties. Additionally, these structures are nearing half a century, and have undergone considerable damages, some of which are simply due to lack of maintenance, and some damages may be result of earthquakes. Several studies have been conducted on the masonry structures that were constructed in Albania during the 1960-1990. What these studies often lack is the confrontation with the reality of the building stock. The buildings that have been studied over and over again, in reality have been modified to satisfy the needs of a changing population. The most typical changes that have been made to the unreinforced masonry buildings in Albania, that can be discerned from a casual stroll in Tirana are removal of load-bearing walls in the ground floors to accommodate new businesses, closing off existing windows and doors, and/or opening new ones, adding new balconies, walling off existing balconies to increase the usable livable area, adding adjacent structures that may or may not be properly attached to the existing URM structures, adding partial or complete stories on top of the existing buildings. This study sets out to investigate the frequency and nature of these modifications. For this purpose, three neighborhoods of Tirana, where URM from 1960-1990 are most common were taken into consideration. Several field trips were taken in these neighborhoods. The above-mentioned modifications were noted for each building that was investigated. Due to potential access issues within the buildings, this study is limited to the modifications that can be observed without. In some cases due to fencing and trees it was not possible to fully observe the modifications in some of the buildings. The results of the investigations were analyzed and summarized in graphical format. The frequency of each modification was estimated. In the end, it was concluded that when studying URM structures in Albania, some more attention should be given to the context where these buildings are located and what is their current status, since the modifications that were observed greatly impact the performance of these buildings.
An Investigation on the Modifications of the Unreinforced Masonry Apartment Buildings Constructed in Albania During the Communist Period
Gjonaj Alma;
2025
Abstract
Masonry structures have been prevalent during most of the civilized history of mankind. The materials used to construct masonry structures were easily available and, in some cases, it didn't require much workmanship or special conditions to produce them. Such was the case of adobe bricks which were sundried. In Albania, before reinforced concrete became the default construction material, unreinforced and confined masonry buildings were designed and constructed during the 1960-1990 all over the country, using some standard floor plans. However, after 1990 Albania has undergone some very turbulent decades politically and economically, during which time the rule of the law was not very firm. During this time control over new construction and modifications done to existing construction have not been over very rigorous. This has resulted in a building stock that is highly unregulated, uncontrolled and often does not meet the required standards. There a general lack of technical information of the material properties. Additionally, these structures are nearing half a century, and have undergone considerable damages, some of which are simply due to lack of maintenance, and some damages may be result of earthquakes. Several studies have been conducted on the masonry structures that were constructed in Albania during the 1960-1990. What these studies often lack is the confrontation with the reality of the building stock. The buildings that have been studied over and over again, in reality have been modified to satisfy the needs of a changing population. The most typical changes that have been made to the unreinforced masonry buildings in Albania, that can be discerned from a casual stroll in Tirana are removal of load-bearing walls in the ground floors to accommodate new businesses, closing off existing windows and doors, and/or opening new ones, adding new balconies, walling off existing balconies to increase the usable livable area, adding adjacent structures that may or may not be properly attached to the existing URM structures, adding partial or complete stories on top of the existing buildings. This study sets out to investigate the frequency and nature of these modifications. For this purpose, three neighborhoods of Tirana, where URM from 1960-1990 are most common were taken into consideration. Several field trips were taken in these neighborhoods. The above-mentioned modifications were noted for each building that was investigated. Due to potential access issues within the buildings, this study is limited to the modifications that can be observed without. In some cases due to fencing and trees it was not possible to fully observe the modifications in some of the buildings. The results of the investigations were analyzed and summarized in graphical format. The frequency of each modification was estimated. In the end, it was concluded that when studying URM structures in Albania, some more attention should be given to the context where these buildings are located and what is their current status, since the modifications that were observed greatly impact the performance of these buildings.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
