The Palace of Justice in Cluj-Napoca was built between 1898 and 1902, and is representative of late 19th-early 20th century architecture. Architect Wagner Gyula (1851-1937) designed several palaces of justice in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the project for the Palace of Justice in Cluj was completed in 1900, with the building being finalized in 1902.

The Palace of Justice was inaugurated on October 13, 1902, as part of a series of ceremonies related to the unveiling of the statue of King Matthias Corvinus in the city’s central square. In April 1956, the city council decided to allocate the wing of the Palace of Justice in Piața Ștefan cel Mare to the Municipal House of Culture, but it only operated here until August 1968, when the building was vacated following administrative reorganization and the relocation of the house of culture to today’s Piața Unirii. For a while, the wing was taken over by the University’s Faculty of Economic Sciences, regaining its original function towards the end of the 20th century.

Over time, various works have been carried out on the building. The last major repair of the building was carried out in 2006.

In 2017, the work of adding floors and attics to the eastern wing was completed.

The building was assessed in 2022 by engineer Dragoș Andrei Marcu and classified as seismic risk class RS II.

Scanning and information modeling are essential in projects of this size, especially where efficient data management is crucial to the success of the project.

Using 3D laser scanning technology, the data collection was achieved in 20 days, generating a total of 3,299 measurement stations. For a building of this size, traditional measurements could have taken up to three times longer, requiring a permanent team on site and causing major disruptions to operations. The information obtained is highly accurate, providing precise data on the structural and non-structural movements of the building.

The information model was used as the sole source of data for technical documentation (formwork and reinforcement plans), for obtaining building permits, and as a coordination tool between specialties (architecture, structure, MEP), all of these activities being carried out in a common data environment (CDE).

Scan to BIM enabled:

– remote accessibility and zone-based work: partial uploading of the point cloud to the ACC (Autodesk Construction Cloud) platform without waiting for the scan to be completed and the entire cloud to be generated; the Bucharest team prioritized and completed, in a first stage, the information modeling only for the facades of one of the inner courtyards where a temporary structure will be located during the execution of the works;
– prevention of all inconsistencies regarding the planning of the temporary structure, having all the necessary data at the right time, in the first phase of the project;
– Updating and continuing the scanning and modeling process without reworking or reorganizing the team in the field;
– Making quick decisions, having instant access to data uploaded to ACC, retrieving and transmitting the necessary information at certain key stages (e.g., quick measurements in planning the relocation of judges’ offices).

Information modeling

The information model includes not only the information generated by laser scanning, but also:

– data related to construction materials, obtained through destructive or non-destructive tests performed in situ;
– data requested by structural engineers regarding the dimensions of structural or non-structural elements.
The conversion of the large volume of data obtained from scanning into a digital model that accurately reflects the actual conditions was made possible by using a collaborative system in the work process. The information was compiled simultaneously by four users, all architects, over a period of 28 working days.

This collaborative approach allowed for real-time updating of the federated 3D model, with five component parts: four building bodies and one separate file containing the decorations on the facades.

Restoration and conservation of artistic components

In the absence of original technical documentation, the information model provided the necessary support for the faithful reconstruction of the roof structure. To scan the roof and document hard-to-reach areas, the team also used a drone, obtaining aerial overview images that complemented the data collected by laser scanning. This multi-source approach ensured a high level of geometric accuracy, which was essential in the process of structural analysis and design of consolidation and rehabilitation interventions.

Concrete overlay on floors

At floor level, a concrete overlay is applied and the walls are connected with a reinforced concrete belt, which increases their horizontal rigidity and resistance under the effect of seismic action perpendicular to the plane.

Wall reinforcement

The structural reinforcement of walls with insufficient load-bearing capacity is achieved by covering them with plaster reinforced with high-density, high-strength polymer grids.

On the facades of the building, reinforcement will only be carried out on the interior side, and in protected areas featuring ornaments and paintings of historical and architectural value, reinforcement will be carried out on only one side of the walls, namely the side that has no historical/architectural restrictions.