New institution in charge of consolidating Bucharest’s buildings with seismic risk

The Romanian capital might have a special institution that would be in charge of consolidating the buildings with seismic risk. Mayor Gabriela Firea said that she would propose this idea to the Bucharest Council. “We decided to create an entity to deal exclusively with all stages of consolidation. It will be called “The Municipal Administration for Consolidating Buildings with Seismic Risk,” and will be subordinated to Bucharest's General Council,” Firea said, reports local Mediafax. The mayor also decided to resume the process of informing the residents of these buildings on the risks they face. Moreover, the City Hall could sue the owners who oppose expertise and renovations. “We will go as far as giving fines, under the law, to the owners who fail to submit the apartment’s cadaster within 60 days of notification, to sue the owners who don’t allow access to their houses in the design and/or execution phase, and obtain an injunction,” Firea added. At present, there are 774 buildings with seismic risk in Bucharest, according to the mayor. Of this total, 183 represent public danger, 173 are in the first class of seismic risk category and marked with a red dot, 318 are in the second class, 94 are in the third class, and six are in the fourth class. Only 75 buildings have been consolidated since 2001, and 18 of them have been revamped with money from the City Hall. The buildings included in the first class of seismic risk that represent a danger to the public could benefit from funding from the state budget. The owners can refund the money in equal monthly installments in RON, without interest, over a maximum period of 25 years from the moment the consolidation is completed. According to estimations from the City Hall, the cost for reinforcing a building would be between EUR 270 and EUR 450 per sqm. The owners could be temporarily moved to another building during the consolidation work. Bucharest City Hall prepares its hospitals for earthquake Emergency infrastructure in Romania, unsafe for earthquake Irina Popescu@romania-insider.com