ABSTRACT
In accordance with CIB (2010) the most developed societies perceive necessary to maintain architectural heritage. However, the need for rehabilitations of heritage structures is often confined by severe economic constraints. Structural strengthening is then considered as the most sensitive aspect of the rehabilitations since it may conflict with the heritage value. That is why assessment of heritage structures often requires application of sophisticated methods, as a rule beyond the scope of traditional design codes. Nevertheless, apart from few national codes, three International Standards ISO 2394 (1998), ISO 13822 (2010) and ISO 12491 (1997), related to assessment of existing structures, have been developed. ISO 13822 (2010) contains an annex focused on heritage structures. Additional information may be found in a number of scientific papers and publications, see e.g. Melchers (2001) and Ellingwood (1996).
