Study of Architectural-Building Restoration, Fixing and Installation of an Ottoman Library in the Castle of Ioannina

This study aims to examine the structural integrity of the Ottoman library and proposes methods for restoring the Architectural and Static Systems of the building. Located to the west of the entrance of the northwest citadel of the Ioannina Castle and outside the Aslan Pasha religious-educational complex, it belongs to the building's dependent on the Muslim seminary of the Medrese. It is estimated that it was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century and the characterization of the building in terms of its possible function as a “library” is due to the large number of manuscripts and books it contained. It is a ground-floor building made of load-bearing masonry (Argolithodomi), with part of the floor plan also having a basement. The total area of the building is 240m2, and its new use will be a digital library. A combination of destructive and non-destructive techniques for evaluating the mechanical properties of the building materials has been used. Specimens were taken from representative areas of the structural elements, and mechanical testing was conducted. Also, those specimens’ dynamic elastic modulus and ultrasonic pulse velocity were defined. Moreover, analytical methods for the restoration and reinforcement of the load-bearing structure are presented. The results show that the evaluation of the structural integrity of the existing structural system is of vital importance for the restoration of the monuments with the aim of returning them to their original state as much as possible.