CONDITION ASSESSMENT OF UCT'S UPPER CAMPUS STRUCTURES
The Humanities Graduate School building is located in the south west of UCT and is comprised of lecture theatres, offices, computer labs and a cafeteria. Construction of the 5 storey building was completed in 1970, making the current service life of the building 42 years. The exterior of the building is a simple concrete surface with no additional plaster layers applied to it.
Honeycomb voids formed in the concrete surface due to poor concrete compaction.
Spalling concrete caused by reinforcement corrosion on main wall.
Previous patch repair that has since failed.
Honeycomb voids formed in the concrete surface due to poor concrete compaction.
HUMANITIES GRADUATE BUILDING
Repair Options
Although the current damage is minimal and does not warrant full repair, the damage is expected to increase in the future.
In order to reduce the cost of future repairs, corrosion prevention measures should be considered to reduce the effects of corrosion.
Cause of Damage
Test results show that the building is susceptible to carbonation induced corrosion due to the extremely low concrete cover depths. The low cover depths resulted in a decrease in the protection offered by the concrete layer.
Damage and Deterioration
The building shows early signs of damage from the corrosion mechanism. This includes minor spalling of the concrete surface. The spalling is mainly present on the window columns and a section of the western wall.
Evidence of previous patch repairs can be seen on the window columns, although they have since failed.
© 2012 by Warrick de Kock. All rights reserved