A new major seismic retrofitting project in Bucharest: the "Bulandra" Theatre building at 1 Schitu Măgureanu Street to be reinforced and modernized

Concelex, a leading Romanian construction company, will design and carry out the reinforcement, rehabilitation and modernization works for the building at 1 Schitu Măgureanu Street, which houses the "Lucia Sturdza Bulandra" Municipal Theatre and premises belonging to the University of Bucharest. Listed under seismic risk class I (RsI), the building is managed by the Municipal Administration for the Consolidation of Buildings at Seismic Risk (AMCCRS) and is located in a protected area.

The project aims to achieve seismic reinforcement as well as improved energy efficiency, with a contract value of 98.6 million lei. Up to 90% of the funding comes from the National Program for the Consolidation of Buildings at High Seismic Risk, financed by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, and implementation is carried out by the Municipality of Bucharest through the Municipal Administration for the Consolidation of Buildings at Seismic Risk. The intervention seeks not only to secure a building at seismic risk class RsI, but also to preserve its architectural and cultural value and adapt it to current requirements for operation, safety and energy efficiency.

"By signing this contract, we are taking another concrete step forward in the Municipality of Bucharest's seismic reinforcement program. No. 1 Schitu Măgureanu is a complex project, in which we must strike a balance between three essential objectives: seismic safety, protection of built heritage, and bringing the building up to current standards of operation and energy efficiency. We are not just reinforcing a structure, we are protecting a place that is part of Bucharest's cultural and academic memory. For AMCCRS, the signing of the contract marks the beginning of a stage in which our responsibility is to ensure the investment is implemented rigorously, respecting quality, deadlines and the building's architectural value." said Răzvan Munteanu, Executive Director of the Municipal Administration for the Consolidation of Buildings at Seismic Risk.

"This is a special project, not only because of its technical complexity, but also because of the building's architectural and cultural significance, for students, professors, actors, theatre lovers and the Bucharest community, as a whole. Our mission is to bring it up to modern standards of safety and energy efficiency while preserving its identity. Concelex's experience with integrated solutions, as well as with similar projects, gives us the tools we need to manage a project of this scale." said Cătălin Vișan, Deputy CEO, Concelex.

The project adds to a broad portfolio of reinforcement works; among the historic buildings Concelex has rehabilitated or has under way are the Mihai Eminescu building of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, the Bacău Administrative Palace, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) branch in Galați, and Buildings A and B of the interwar building at 2 Boteanu Street. The company has also recently won the reinforcement project for the Dacia-România Palace (Pinacoteca). The building on Schitu Măgureanu has a total floor area of over 11,800 sqm and involves a complex intervention: structural reinforcement, repair and restoration of architectural elements and artistic components, modernization of building systems, and the introduction of fire safety solutions. In addition, the works will cover thermal insulation, waterproofing, window and door replacement, and the installation of energy-efficient equipment, with an impact on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The project also involves partial demolitions, ground improvement works for the foundation, as well as utility connections and disconnections. Through an integrated approach to the intervention, structural reinforcement, restoration, modernization of building systems and improved energy performance, the Municipality of Bucharest and AMCCRS aim for the investment to generate long-term benefits, both in terms of user safety and in terms of heritage preservation and reduced building operating costs. Located at the intersection of Schitu Măgureanu Boulevard and Calea Plevnei, the building is one of the most important architectural landmarks of the Cișmigiu area, with a 100-year history. The complex was built in stages, with construction of the main building beginning in 1926 as the Palace of the League for the Cultural Unity of Romanians. Between 1950 and 1977, it housed the Institute of Theatrical and Cinematographic Art, and today it serves the "Lucia Sturdza Bulandra" Municipal Theatre and the University of Bucharest, with lecture halls, amphitheatre, library, archive and offices.