1st Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering 1CroCEE 2021

2020 Zagreb earthquake and 2020 Petrinja earthquake raised the topic of urban renewal process and possible renewal models for damaged buildings. The paper presents the author's research from the first semester of the Postgraduate doctoral scientific study programme Architecture and Urban Planning at the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb.
The main goal of urban renewal is the process of modernization that has to be in accordance with preservation of cultural heritage and city's identity. Renewal models for private buildings under conservation protection are researched, as well as their impact on the process of integral urban renewal of the city of Zagreb.
Renovation models are researched interdisciplinary from the aspect of urban planning, architectural practice and theory, civil engineering, art history and sociology. The advantages and disadvantages of each renewal model are analysed, as well as the possibilities of their implementation. Each renewal model has different impact on visual identity of the city and different level of possibility for implementation of deep renewal which includes adaptive reuse, upgrade of earthquake resistance and fire protection, energy retrofit, improving accessibility for the disabled, parking area extension, interior renovation, yard renovation, etc.
Four possible renewal models have been identified for apartment buildings within the protected area of the Zagreb Lower Town: Model A - renovation of existing structures, Model B - demolition of existing buildings and reconstruction with preserving only the original appearance of the street facade, Model C - demolition of existing buildings and construction of completely new buildings, Model D - demolition of existing buildings and gaining benefits from spatial voids.
The research also deals with the topic of preserving the city's identity and paradoxical relations arising from conservation rules, as well as with the impact of urban rules and legislation on the urban renewal implementation. Reconstruction of Warsaw after the WWII and interventions in the attics in Vienna are shown as examples.