J rgen Ruth Prof. Dr.-Ing. In case of revitalisation and change of occupancy of existing building substance the initial and current resistance and stiffness capacity have to be assessed. In some cases the actual capacity is either not sufficient to meet the new requirements or the reconstruction itself requires a change of the structural system or the dimensions of the members.
Special efforts have to be taken to strengthening the substance of building.
One possible option is to generate hybrid structures, which consist of coupled elements with different mechanical properties. The hybridisation of existing structural elements can be achieved by the addition of new elements or by interlinking the existing elements. By using hybrid technologies it is possible to optimize the structural behaviour and to reduce the realisation efforts. The load bearing capacities can be used effectively by defining interaction between members in the hybrid structure. The long term behaviour has to be taken into account.