20 years – 20 projects 🔙 Review: Votivkirche
Structural engineering between history and responsibility
As part of the renovation work on Vienna’s Votivkirche, a detailed calculation of the three-dimensional structure was carried out.
Our task:
• Calculate load distribution from the external scaffolding
• Assess the effects on the T-shaped steel swords
• Ensure the integrity of the underslung I-beams
The goal was clear: maximum safety with minimum intervention.
Renovation meets substance: the canopies
Many of the elaborately designed canopies had been torn by tension – despite historical reinforcements with lead.
Our solution:
• Crack injection with synthetic resin
• Anchoring of the main stones using CFRP and GFRP rods
• Restoration that preserves the structure through precisely tailored drilling
In this way, we not only secure structural elements, but also preserve the historical identity.
Building logbook in accordance with § 128a WBO – a requirement with foresight
Under the latest amendment to the Vienna Building Code, all buildings constructed before 1945 must undergo a structural inspection – including historic special buildings such as the Votivkirche.
The challenge is particularly great here:
• Delicate connection between construction and decorative elements
• Complex static systems in sensitive building fabric
• Inspection concepts that combine craftsmanship and high-tech
The building logbook makes it possible to systematically record all of this: condition, measures, intervals.
🔍 Why is this important?
Because a monument like this must not only be preserved, but also understood in all its complexity – structurally, historically, and technically.
📍 Votivkirche, Vienna
🏛 Architecture: Heinrich Ferstel
🛠 Contribution: Structural engineering, renovation concept, building logbook
📸 Photos: ©PicMyPlace GmbH Real Agency
