Facade Renewal of Generalštab Building in Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse Processes

Awareness of the need to protect the architectural heritage of the twentieth century in Serbia has just started to develop. The future of the architect Nikola Dobrović’s Generalštab building, legally protected as a cultural property, but for a long time in a state of a ruin after the bombing in 1999, is still uncertain. After any future interventions with an aim to preserve the building, it will be necessary for it to remain the old Generalštab, but to become a modern facility. It brings us to a great number of processes that it will pass through, within its rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, when the selection of materials for new constructions and coverings, or repairs and conservation of the existing ones, will be inevitable. With the analysis of physical and mechanical characteristics of facade stone, we can make conclusions about the causes of current facade state and the possibilities of its renewal

VUČKOVICA CARBONATE-SILICA GEMSTONE DEPOSIT (CENTRAL SERBIA): GEOLOGIC PROPERTIES, GENETIC PROCESSES AND DEPOSITION AGE

Carbonate-silica veins and masses in theVučkovica locality in central Serbia, classified as Kraubath type deposit, despite their thickness, are not economically significant as magnesite deposit due to silica content well above 0.3%. What makes this mineralization economically insignificant as magnesite deposit – heavy silification of magnesite – is what enables its use as a gemstone. The regional hydrothermal activity along deep faults of the Sava-Vardar zone of the central Serbia had caused the alteration of serpentinite and formation of carbonate-silica minerali-zation. Unlike other deposits of the same type in this ophiolite belt, here the depth of the erosional level provides an opportunity to explore previously unknown features of these mineralizations, such as veins' trending, dip direction, dip angle and thickness, and somewhat different relationships between carbonate and silica constituents – namely predo-minance of magnesite with minor content of green dolomite and chalcedony. X-ray diffraction analyses have shown that carbonate minerals present are predominantly magnesite with minor dolomite, and that silica is fully crystallized despite its colloform structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescent (EDXRF) analysis indicated the presence of significant content of nickel, which can cause the green colour of dolomite. Optical microscopy has shown that the precipitation process is carried out continuously between cryptocrystalline magnesite and crystalline dolomite, and that silica crystallite (fibre) size varies between cryptocrystalline and microcrystalline. As a gemstone deposit, Vučkovica can be considered small and with complicated internal setting, but with significant depth span, as is typical for Kraubath type deposits. Present gemstone types are considered "semi-precious", of low to moderate economic value, but with very pleasing aesthetic properties

Diabase from Drača open pit mine in central Serbia - Quality assessment for building stone purposes

Vast masses of basic rocks are present as tectonic blocks and slices along the Eastern deep fault of the Vardar zone of Serbia. They are predominantly comprised of gabbro, with smaller part made up of diabase, and occurrences of granite, aplite and pegmatite dykes. Basic rock masses are trending along the line Kragujevac (Ždraljica)-Velika Pčelica-Bogalinac ∼8 km west of Rekovac. A significantly smaller diabase massif is present along the same tectonic line, further toward SE, at Prevešt village by Kalenicka River, approximately 13 km south of Rekovac. Drača open pit mine is situated in this diabase massif. Geologic explorative works have confirmed the reserves of 1 846 695 t of stone mass for building purposes. For over a decade, Draca mine has been producing various types of building stone, mainly graded stone aggregate with favourable physico-mechanical properties for road-construction works. Chemical analyses and petrographic study have shown typical composition and fabric for this type of rock. Main constituents are plagioclase and pyroxene, with opaque minerals as accessory and varying secondary minerals - chlorite, calcite, in some places epidote and limonite. Pyrite enrichment is visible in some areas of the massif. Chlorite, calcite, epidote and pyrite are the products of propylitic alteration. Although products of alteration are present throughout the rock mass with variable intensity, as is typical for the basic rocks of the former ocean floor sequences, petrologic properties are favourable for building stone purposes. Physico-mechanical properties of diabase have favourable values and varying scattering degrees. Dry state uniaxial compressive strength average values from seven analyses vary in the range 130-169 MPa. Resistance to abrasion average values vary in the range 9.04-17.07 cm3/50cm2. Apparent density varies within the span 2759-2926 g/cm3 and real density 2804-2951 g/cm3. Water absorption values 0.08-1.04 %. Resistance to weathering through testing of stability using Sodium-sulphate values vary from 0.00 to 0.15 % and through frost resistance from 0.00 to 0.04 %. Porosity values are almost constant at 0.8 %. In more altered parts of the rock mass, porosity reaches 1.6 %. Graded crushed aggregate has favourable values of Los Angeles coefficient 14.2 and 14.3 % for gradation B. Taking into consideration all performed tests and analyses, it is concluded that diabase from Drača mine can be used as a building stone for production of aggregate for use in concrete and for road-construction (asphalt paving mixtures for moderate, light and very light traffic load as a top wearing layer; for lower and upper bearing layers; for classic and modern road foundations); for production of crushed and hewn stone for building; crushed stone for railroad ballast. Also, it can be and is used as a raw material for production of stone wool for thermal insulation purposes

Istorijski malteri : od karakterizacije do konzervacije

Publikacija Istorijski malteri – od karakterizacije do konzervacije predstavlja jedan od rezultata projekta Mortar Design for Conservation – Danube Roman Frontier 2000 Years After (MoDeCo2000), koji je finansirao Fond za nauku Republike Srbije od 2020. do 2022. godine kroz program PROMIS. Projekat je sproveden u saradnji Arheološkog instituta, Tehnološkog fakulteta Novi Sad Univerziteta u Novom Sadu i Instituta za ispitivanje materijala. Tema projekta su krečni malteri građevina podignutih u periodu od I do VI veka na delu dunavskog limesa koji se nalazio na teritoriji današnje Republike Srbije. U Srbiji se nalaze ostaci brojnih građevina iz svih istorijskih perioda, ali malteri ugrađeni u njihove strukture do sada nisu bili predmet sistematskog proučavanja. Period čiji je razvoj graditeljstva najdirektnije bio uslovljen razvojem pripreme i primene krečnog maltera predstavlja vreme rimske dominacije. Kroz projekat MoDeCo2000 sprovedeno je istraživanje graditeljstva nastalog tokom ovog perioda na teritoriji dunavskog limesa – granice Rimskog carstva na reci Dunav. S obzirom na to da su rimski krečni malteri u svetu decenijama predmet brojnih naučnih projekata, MoDeCo2000 predstavlja važan doprinos naučne zajednice Republike Srbije razvoju ovih istraživanja, ne samo kroz osvetljavanje dela slike graditeljskog, pa i društveno-ekonomskog razvoja prostora centralnog Balkana u periodu od I do VI veka nove ere, već i tradicionalnog graditeljstva na predmetnoj teritoriji uopšte. Osim istraživačkog cilja projekta, kao jednako važan je bio onaj usmeren na praktičnu arhitektonsku konzervaciju, odnosno direktnu primenu naučnih rezultata projekta u procesima očuvanja istorijskih građevina u Srbiji, u skladu sa međunarodnim dokumentima iz oblasti zaštite kulturnog nasleđa

Need to Improve the Natural Aggregate Resources Supply in the City of Belgrade (Serbia)

The City of Belgrade is the largest market for aggregates in Serbia but the production of natural aggregates is rather small, around five percent of total consumption. This reflects the geology of the City of Belgrade territory, dominated by Neogene and Quaternary sedimentary rocks. The production of crushed rock and sand and gravel on the territory of Belgrade was almost equal, while majority of imported aggregates is sand and gravel due to lower price. Consumption of crushed rocks includes around 90 % of limestone and dolomite, the rest being magmatic rocks. The main issue of using crushed rock on the territory of the City of Belgrade is the long transport routes, which are usually near or more than 100 km, creating more logistic problems and increasing cost of aggregates Therefore it is necessary to establish a good supply system with low socio-environmental impact of aggregate production and transport, and the basis for that is the analysis of actual structure of production and supply of natural aggregates and new potential quarries and/or sand and gravel pits

CONTRIBUTION TO GEOLOGY AND GENETIC PATHWAY OF THE ROPOČEVO BRECCIA – AN "ORPHAN" OLISTOLITHIC BODY WITHIN THE UPPER CRETACEOUS FLYSCH NEAR SOPOT (CENTRAL SERBIA)

The Ropočevo breccia, a dimension stone highly prized in 20th century, has been examined by numerous prominent geologists of the time. It is revisited by researchers still intrigued by its perplexing provenance. Its position as a rigid exotic block of hard and completely metamorphosed carbonate breccia within the moderately lithified Upper Cretaceous flysch sequence remains unsolved due to absence of its source. Large bodies of a monomictic breccia suggest a relatively monotonous protolith carbonate sequence of significant thickness, such as those being formed in a calm marine environment with gradually sinking bottom due to epeirogenic movements. Varicoloured laminations indicate slight variations in the feeding material due to the epeirogenic oscillation of the basin bottom level. There is no regularity in clast distribution regarding size, colour or roundedness degree. This, paired with the occurrence of the "in-place brecciation" suggests a sudden fall of brecciated material due to a "catastrophic" event, such as earth-quake, collapse brecciation due to karst dissolution and a large sinkhole formation, or a graben/trench formation as in onset of the extensional processes

Roman Mortars from the Amphitheatre of Viminacium

Although the first archaeological excavations of Viminacium, the capital of the Roman province Moesia Superior, today's Serbia, began in 1882, only a small amount of laboratory research on applied building materials has been conducted so far. he grandeur and uniqueness of the building of the Roman amphitheatre now being excavated, and the need for its conservation, required the start of the research on the lime mortars used in this building. Some of the results of this particular research are presented in this paper

Roman Mortars from the Amphitheatre of Viminacium

Although the first archaeological excavations of Viminacium, the capital of the Roman province Moesia Superior, today's Serbia, began in 1882, only a small amount of laboratory research on applied building materials has been conducted so far. The grandeur and uniqueness of the building of the Roman amphitheatre now being excavated, and the need for its conservation, required the start of the research on the lime mortars used in this building. Some of the results of this particular research are presented in this paper

Natural Brick of Viminacium

Building activity in Viminacium, an important Roman legionary fortress and a city on the Danube in today’s Serbia, was influenced by its natural surroundings. They influenced the position and orientation of the first fortification, built in the 1st century AD, as well as the range of raw materials for the construction of buildings in all of Viminacium’s life phases. The first building material along with wood that Romans encountered after coming to the northern edge of the Stig Plain must have been red burnt soil created by coal combustion, whose source is only a few kilometres from the fortress. The first ramparts were constructed using blocks made of this material, called "crvenka" by the local people, which was used for building purposes in the wider area until relatively recently. It is very well known that manmade brick was used as an artificial material with pozzolanic features added to Roman lime mortars. Viminacium was a provincial centre of brick production, using local soil as a raw material. Since crvenka can be recognised as a kind of “natural brick” made of local sediments, an assumption was made that it could also have been used in Viminacium lime mortars as a natural pozzolanic addition. After laboratory research of its mineralogical, mechanical, physical, and chemical characteristics, crushed and ground crvenka was mixed with lime. Mortars with excellent mechanical properties were created, offering us one of the indicators of their possible hydraulicity. With the knowledge of the firing temperatures that could have been developed in Roman brick kilns, this research will be continued. An attempt to determine the temperature that red ceramic fragments, visible in the composition of Viminacium mortars, were fired at, will be made, leading us further towards their possible characterisation as artificial or “natural” brick

Natural Brick of Viminacium

Building activity in Viminacium, an important Roman legionary fortress and a city on the Danube in today’s Serbia, was influenced by its natural surroundings. They influenced the position and orientation of the first fortification, built in the 1st century AD, as well as the range of raw materials for the construction of buildings in all of Viminacium’s life phases. The first building material along with wood that Romans encountered after coming to the northern edge of the Stig Plain must have been red burnt soil created by coal combustion, whose source is only a few kilometres from the fortress. The first ramparts were constructed using blocks made of this material, called "crvenka" by the local people, which was used for building purposes in the wider area until relatively recently