Modernization - is it repair or reconstruction? Or is it "the same filling in different candy wrappers" in order to withdraw more money? There has also been a renovation. Repairs are now not carried out at all, only renovation?
Concepts, of course, related and even intersecting somewhere. But there is a difference between them. Moreover, this difference is fundamental, which would be useful not only for construction contractors to know. The question should be clear to investors, theater managers, chief physicians of clinical hospitals, plant managers and many others in this rapidly changing world. Let's try to understand the terms and find suitable examples for them.
Define and compare
The wording on the Web, as usual, is a problem: confusion of concepts and cumbersome definitions. We do not want to make mistakes, so we will look for terminology in the regulatory documents of accounting and taxation. The fact is that financiers and tax specialists are well aware of what fixed assets are. They themselves do not make mistakes with this and do not forgive others. And the objects of repairs, upgrades, renovations, etc. are preciselyfixed assets, that is, buildings of various types.
So, attention: if as a result of the work carried out the object functions better or differently (longer service life, higher power, better application quality, etc.), then this work refers to reconstruction or modernization.
There is no concept of "repair" in tax and accounting legislation. Great, we conclude that renovation is work that does not change the purpose of the building and does not add new functions and qualities to it.
Her Highness Purpose
The main criterion for dividing and distinguishing restructuring works is their purpose (the above accounting characteristics of fixed assets are in second place in importance).
- The purpose of repair is to eliminate faults that interfere with the use of the object. A classic example is replacing old water pipes that were leaking at every turn.
- The purpose of modernization is to update a facility to meet new technologies, requirements or regulations. The concept of modernization is very broad: you can modernize the army, theater, warehouse, higher education system - almost all areas of activity. We are more interested in the technical modernization of what can be repaired or reconstructed. For the most part, these are structures for various purposes.
- The purpose of reconstruction is to change the main parameters of structures in the form of their reconstruction. This may be a new layout or an increase in the area of the building. There is a reconstruction "back to the past" to returnbuildings of their original appearance, something like a conditional "reverse modernization".
- The purpose of the restoration is to return the original appearance and condition of cultural monuments.
Two in one: new life for elevators and escalators
Despite the differences between modernization and reconstruction, you can often see these words together: "… a large-scale reconstruction was carried out with modernization …". So they write in the press, and in the documents of state bodies. This is the right combination of concepts. Modernization and reconstruction get along well with each other, they are close "relatives", including repairs.
An example is the frequent situation with the installation of new elevators as part of the reconstruction or overhaul of a building. The new elevator system is a local technical upgrade as part of the overall renovation.
Most often, engineering and technical systems in buildings are subject to modernization: ventilation networks with air conditioning, heat supply, water pipes, escalators, etc. This is not about simply replacing old technical equipment with new ones. Modernization is always progress, these are new models, technologies or materials.
The dilemma of big cities and renovation
This extremely interesting hybrid concept has appeared recently. Renovation is a real modern trend and another close relative of reconstruction. Renovation includes the processes of improvement, reconstruction, modernization and restoration with one condition: maintaining the integrity of the building.
There are explanations for this, which are connected with the problems of urbanization. Suchthe situation has developed in the central regions of many large cities. Builders and architects face a serious dilemma. On the one hand, the old buildings in the center are difficult to demolish because of their historical value, the protests of the city residents, or for any other reason. On the other hand, municipalities need updated and functional buildings in the center.
The solution was found very high quality - the reconstruction of old buildings with a change in their purpose and functions. In other words, renovation. This process is complex in nature with the mandatory inclusion of an architectural concept. Urban traditions, aesthetic considerations, economic calculations, adaptation of houses to modern needs, options for using adjacent territories are only some of the issues considered during the development and planning of renovation projects.
One of the features of the renovation is the total modernization of buildings. Sometimes it is difficult to determine its boundaries with reconstruction and restoration work. In a word, the phenomenon is new, complex and extremely promising. This is a comfortable urban environment.
The Bolshoi Theater is a reconstruction
In 2005, when the project of rebuilding the Bolshoi Theater began, the concept of "renovation" was not yet in use. Therefore, one of the longest and most scandalous projects in the construction of cultural buildings was called briefly and clearly - reconstruction.
The building of the Bolshoi Theater has suffered in its lifetime. Who just did not rebuild it. Reconstructions and restorations went oneafter another, almost from the very beginning of its existence. And only in 2009, after serious preparations, the building was moved from temporary supports to a powerful permanent foundation.
Here, it would seem, is an example of a typical reconstruction. The work was exclusively restoration and restoration in nature. It was necessary to return everything as it was in the original version of the theater building, to restore the historical appearance. The scale of the work was enormous. Only in the building of the theater every day there were about three thousand people. Outside the theatre, as many as a thousand specialists also worked in the restoration workshops.
Besides restoring the interiors, the project had two more important tasks. One of them is to find additional premises in the theater. This was done at the expense of a new underground space.
The second task was the restoration of the unique acoustics of the hall, which was carried out with the invitation of world-class experts and with many sound tests.
Bolshoi Theatre: modernization after all
Everything done fits into the concept of reconstruction, no doubt. But how to regard the latest technologies for the stage, which correspond to the highest world level?
Judge for yourself, now seven lifting platforms are built into the stage of the theater, each of which has two levels. These platforms can change their position in space as they like, so the stage is able to take a horizontal position or turn, for example, into steps.
Modern systems for placing equipment for special effects, acoustic lighting are built into the walls of a historic building in the most delicate way. What is the difference between modernization and reconstruction of equipment in the Bolshoi Theater project? The fact that the systems for turning the stage, lighting, special effects and acoustics were not a simple replacement of old ones with new ones. This modernization allows the theater to stage modern productions using fundamentally new theatrical technologies.
As for the orchestra pit, it has been reconstructed: the space under the proscenium has been increased in it, now it is one of the largest in the world, accommodating 130 orchestra players. The expansion of the underground space also made it possible to open a new concert hall directly under the Theater Square, in the very heart of the center of Moscow, there is another reconstruction.
The differences between modernization and reconstruction in such large-scale projects are blurred, both processes run in parallel and perfectly integrate with other techniques, such as restoration. This integration of construction processes is a new and progressive trend.
Philharmonic on the Elbe: a decade of modernization and reconstruction work
The Hamburg Philharmonic is the main rival of the Bolshoi Theater in terms of scandalousness, high cost of the project and long-term construction.
The distinction between modernization and reconstruction is once again blurred in this grandiose project. The building of the new concert hall was erected on the roof of an old warehouse on the banks of the Elbe. The location is also very remarkable. It's a river port on the Elbe, roughindustrial landscape. This is a classic reconstruction of a construction site (warehouse).
Despite the fact that the building is located in the midst of a functioning river port, the theater has perfect soundproofing. To do this, a special gap was made above the warehouse with soundproofing materials of the new generation. This also applies to the reconstruction process.
Superstructure of steel and glass over the river warehouse weighs no less than 78 thousand tons. The area of the glass facade is 16 thousand meters. The height of the building is 110 meters. The dimensions and scale of the Philharmonic are unique. The main hall can accommodate 2100 spectators, and the chamber hall - 550 listeners. There is also a luxury hotel, several restaurants, conference rooms, etc. You can live in this building. To do this, it is enough to buy one of the forty-four duplex apartments in the western part of the building.
The architectural concept of the large concert hall is “a vineyard on a mountainside”. The terraces around the central stage rise along with the visual rows as you move away from the center.
Now attention! When creating this most interesting project, the architects had the main goal. It sounded like this: to breathe life into the neglected and unfairly forgotten industrial area of Hamburg on the Elbe. The city needed not just a new concert hall, but a unique multi-purpose cultural complex.
We have again a hybrid of construction processes. It makes no sense to understand the differences between modernization and reconstruction. The large-scale urban concept included all types of work. We are againsee the integration.
Modernization of the KAMAZ plant
Already if where modernization is carried out in its pure form, then it is in industrial enterprises. It is understandable, the issue is the efficiency of production of modern products, which will never be high without new technologies and equipment.
Factory Upgrade is a unique project “301.301. Auto assembly production. We are talking about preparing for the production of a new heavy truck, which is part of a whole project of reengineering factory processes. Modernization is being carried out in all workshops with a deadline of early 2019.
KAMAZ has an ambitious goal - to raise product quality to a fundamentally new level. And without a serious and thoughtful modernization, it’s pointless to even think about such a thing.
As a result of the changes, an automated control system will appear, and all the operations of the assembly shop will be automatically recorded in the system, in order to then generate a new generation car passport - electronic. The new system of total monitoring and the reconstruction of networks will reduce the percentage of customer complaints and, importantly, will create a basis for corrective actions and work on bugs.
Zaryadye and new generation urbanism
Pay attention to the name of the international competition for the future of the famous Moscow park "Zaryadye: landscape and architectural concept of the park." The city authorities decided to build a modern park with a developed infrastructure on the site of the huge demolished Rossiya Hotel.
At first glance, the project again looks like a reconstruction: demolition, rebuilding, resizing and areas, giving new functions, etc.
But again we have a concept, not a separate construction project. The main idea of the winning project was to organize a new space according to the rules of natural urbanism. This is a new trend in urban planning about the neighborhood of nature and the urban environment, resulting in a new type of public space.
All objects of the park are unique and worthy of a detailed description. But another important feature of the new Moscow facility is the reconstruction of adjacent streets and squares in the city. Zaryadye seems to attract comfort for people and landscaping in general. Congestion, chaotic parking, narrow pedestrian zones - everything is gradually turning into a civilized urban environment of a new generation.
Conclusion
It seems that for modern urban projects associated with the alteration of old buildings, it makes no sense to figure out for a long time what is the difference between reconstruction and modernization of a house. The most optimal rework option is a well-thought-out combination of these processes. And if we are talking about large-scale restructuring, including changes in infrastructure, then they are carried out in accordance with the concept - the main idea. Then the differences between modernization and reconstruction will be a purely internal matter.
The trend of combining concepts in building alterations also applies to industrial modernization. In its pure form, it is not found even in factories. Do you want to improve the quality of your cars?Upgrade the conveyor and remodel the space for staff comfort, because one new conveyor won't get you far.
The future belongs to complex projects, united by broad concepts and including all possible types of rework.
