Old House, New History – Historical Building Seeing New Heights

A historical Tbilisi building which has been sinking into the ground, is to be lifted up by 3.5 meters. This unique project is being carried out by Socar Energy Georgia and the developing company Confidence Group.

The building, built by well-known Polish architect Aleksander Szymkiewicz at the beginning of the 20th century and later having sunk into the ground by 3-4 meters as a result of natural processes, is located at 18 Ialbuzi St., beside the headquarters of Socar Energy Georgia.

After discovering the architectural value of the building, Socar and Confidence Group initiated the resurrection project, inviting Dutch technologists who have the know-how to ensure that the building is lifted without damaging the structure.

The technology which is being used for lifting is unique and unprecedented not only in Georgia but also throughout the Caucasus region and abroad. It has been used in several places round the globe to date.

“After a lot of discussions, it became clear that in the developing process of the city, the sunken building could only be resurrected by lifting it to the level of the street,” stated Socar Energy Georgia. “Therefore, world famous company Bresser, which has a lot of experience implementing such projects, was invited to carry out the project.”

The historical building is now owned by Confidence Group. Lifting it to street-level will take number of days. After this, according to Mahir Mamedov, General Director of Socar Energy Georgia, the building will be restored and a hotel complex will be built there, bringing the past glory back to the Polish architect’s work.

“The project has historical value for everyone,” Mahir Mamedov commented. “It is special because we are lifting the building by 3.5 meters to make its façade visible from the central street. This is a remarkably historical building and we are treating it with special attention. In the future this building will become part of a hotel complex which is now being planned. This will have a great importance in terms of cultural and historical sights of Georgia.”

The lifting process of the old historical building, launched on November 27th, is being recorded by a documentary film crew.

Ana Akhalaia