Location: Norwich
Date: May 2017
The Concrete Consultancy 2000 Ltd were instructed to undertake a concrete condition survey and investigative works to the external and internal concrete elements of Charles Darwin and Wensum house. The purpose of the works were to determine the makeup of the structural elements so as the load bearing capacity of the frame could be assessed prior to a vertical extension and refurbishment. The works were divided into two stages, internal and external. The external survey comprised a visual and hammer rap survey, followed by the extraction of concrete dust samples for chloride analysis, carbonation depth testing and a covermeter survey. Following analysis of the sample results, a specification for concrete repair was produced along with a bill of quantities.
The internal survey comprised an identical scope to the external, with the inclusion of covermeter surveys of each concrete element to determine the quantity of reinforcement, localised breakouts to determine the size, type and condition of the reinforcement and the extraction of concrete cores for compressive strength testing.
