Westminster Court, Worthing

Structural Renovations Limited commenced work on site at Westminster Court in September. The project consists of concrete repair, corrosion management and protective coatings to the 9 storey, purpose built residential block, which over looks the sea.

The reinforced concrete had been previously repaired and existing repairs had began to fail, combined with ‘new’ defects that had presented themselves.

The blocks close proximity to the sea has accelerated the deterioration of the concrete due to the effects of airborne chloride contamination and it was therefore proposed that a form of corrosion control should be adopted to prolong the life of not only the repaired areas but the concrete in its entirety.

The working areas have been scaffolded and clad with debris netting, to provide a safe and efficient mean of access.

Following a visual and hammer tap survey, all defective areas of concrete were broken back to sound substrate and the reinforcement treated with a cement rich primer. All prepared and treated areas were then reinstated using a hand placed, polymer modified repair mortar.

The corrosion management system involved drilling and installing vapour phase inhibitor capsules in a grid pattern across all concrete faces. These capsules will release their inhibiting properties over 12-48 months around the reinforcement, providing a passivating protective layer, which reduces exposure to harmful chlorides.

All concrete surfaces are then to be pressure washed to remove dirt and loose materials, followed by the application of a water based primer/adhesion promoter.

Finally, the entire primed area will be protected with a pigmented, elastomeric, anti-carbonation coating.

All products are produced by Sika Limited and this particular system, once complete will provide the client with a 10 year guarantee.

The works are programmed for completion in early November.