IST Studies, Private College, Athens

The building of “IST” college on Piraeus Street, with a total area of 15.000m2, extends to three levels and emerged from five existing reinforced concrete frames, after complete redesign, reconstruction and seismic strengthening.

The above frames belonged to older buildings of a factory, more than 30 years old. They were extremely weak against lateral loads.

Twelve new reinforced concrete cores and walls were added throughout the building and accommodate new stairwells and elevator shafts. They have been founded on mat footings connected to the existing foundations. The new cores and new shear walls incorporated existing columns and beams. The building was strengthened against earthquake and its stiffness and strength grew vastly.

The expansion joints between buildings were maintained and neoprene bearings were placed where it was needed to avoid collisions during an earthquake. The buildings were redesigned architecturally so that the new single building would fit the needs of an educational institution. The vaulted ceilings, where they existed, were preserved and exploited for architectural purposes.