Strengthening a heritage structure with self compacting concrete: an experimental study N. Torunbalci, I. Ediz & F. Sutcu Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract Heritage structures consisting of masonry walls are under high risk in the case of a severe earthquake. This study experimentally investigates the behaviour of brick masonry wall samples strengthened by self-compacting concrete and standard concrete on one side and includes a key study representing an example of application to historical structures. Comparisons are made between the change in the load-bearing capacities and behaviour of the specimens following the strengthening. It is determined that the improvements in the specimens become much more pronounced when the self compacting concrete rather than the conventional concrete strengthening is applied. Keywords: masonry, self-compacting concrete, brick masonry, one side retrofitting. 1 Introduction The majority of buildings in Turkey are masonry structures and the masonry walls are mostly made of bricks. In addition to numerous structures of monumental and historical value, the majority of the structures constructed both in rural and urban areas are of the masonry structure type. Although masonry brick walls are known to have high vertical load bearing capacity, they are weak against lateral loading such as earthquakes. In this context, it is crucial to have the existing masonry structures protected against the earthquakes by increasing their strength. The damage to the masonry structures is attributable to inferior soil conditions, non-conformity with the requirements of relevant codes, defective design and application as well as wear and tear. As a result, earthquakes cause major damage to the structure or else, result in the collapse of the structure as a Retrofitting of Heritage Structures 121 doi:10.2495/978-1-84564-75 - / 44 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1755-8336 (on-line) WIT Transactions on State of the Art in Science and Engineering, Vol 62, © 2013 WIT Press 011