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UCT’s sports centre is located on the north east side of the campus and contains several indoor sports facilities and offices. Construction of the building was completed in 1978, making the current age of the building 34 years. The building is made up of reinforced concrete elements that consist of columns, beams and walls. The exterior of the building is made up of plain concrete that used to be covered in slate panels

SPORTS SCIENCE CENTRE

Repair Options

 

All damaged and loose concrete should be removed and replaced with new concrete. Care must be taken to clean the corroded reinforcement and to apply the new material to ensure an adequate repair. 



Testing on core samples revealed a low estimated remaining service life, therefore corrosion prevention measures should be considered to extended the service life of the building.

Cause of Damage

 

Extensive testing conducted on the building showed that the damage is due to carbonation induced corrosion. This is due to extremely low concrete cover depths to the reinforcing steel.

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The low cover depths have left the building susceptible to carbonation, which has resulted in a decrease in the protection offered by the concrete layer.



 

Damage and Deterioration

 

The western façade of the building was originally finished with slate panels, which have since been removed and deemed unsafe after recent collapses of the fixing mechanisms. The exterior of the building remains as bare concrete with visible signs of the effects of the removed panels.



The reinforced concrete elements show various forms of damage ranging from cracking, delamination, spalling of concrete and a loss of rebar cross-section. This has led to missing and loose concrete falling from the building. Corroded reinforcement is visible which crumbles when touched.  

© 2012 by Warrick de Kock. All rights reserved

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