Aerated Concrete problems
- Thread starter ebikeerwidnes
- Start date
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ebikeerwidnes
Senior Member
Yes - but this is fixed - rises annually but does include them maintaining the building
Including doing periodic surveyors by a qualified structural surveyor
and if any surveyor saw a concrete (of any kind) beam/spar/thing with rust on it then they would be ringing alarm bells
I suspect this inspection has been cut back on
However - I may be wrong in some ways.
For example, I heard yesterday that a few years ago the government took the responsibility for building maintenance away from the local government and gave it to the schools - plus some funding.
This may or may not be true - or totally true
The last school where I taught had a large flat roof, including over teh computer room where I taught
When it rained heavily the roof always leaked - especially the one in the computer room - luckily the leaks where always in the same place - in the middle and not often near the computers.
The school moaned about it every time but the council refused to re-roof the affected areas and insisted on it being repaired (aka patched up)
I heard (which may or may not be true) that repairs up to a certain point where the school's problem.
Above that - which would include doing the whole roof - would be paid by the council - and this was why the council always claimed it could be repaired.
Somewhere all that is the problem - and the solution
but I suspect, in the case of council schools, that a division of costs and responsibilities leads to arguments about which side of the line it lands on and this leads to inaction!
icowden
Squire
Tut. Patel would never have said that.
She would have said:-
"I'm sorry if you feel your ceilin' has collapsed in on you".
Appalling attention to detail.
newfhouse
pleb
TBF Chris acknowledges that he dropped the ball with that.
Fab Foodie
Legendary Member
Oops, somebody wasn't doing a farking-good job....
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ls-on-raac-list-were-denied-emergency-funding
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ls-on-raac-list-were-denied-emergency-funding
Fab Foodie
Legendary Member
BoldonLad
Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
- Location
- South Tyneside
Worth a laugh, but...
The question could just as easily have been "if your school was built in 1962... etc" with suitable adjustments to the possible answers. It is not. as if this problem has not been known about (and ignored by successive Governments of both hues).
newfhouse
pleb
Was aero concrete used in 1962?
Did the Labour government , even with all its faults, withdraw school renovation and rebuilding budgets?
BoldonLad
Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
- Location
- South Tyneside
I believe it was widely used, throughout Europe, including the UK, from the 1950s onwards. Not just in schools.
ebikeerwidnes
Senior Member
From what I have seen - RAAC was seen at the time - and was - a sensible solution and worked ok
As long as it was protected from water - i.e. no leaking roof
and was regularly inspected properly and replaced at an appropriate time
Hence, larger buildings with proper professional qualified maintenance staff may well be fine
The problem with schools is that the responsibility has been taken from large LEAs and put onto schools
as well as some of the budget - but managers of schools are teacher who have been promoted and recently they have been under more and more funding pressure
as teachers they put the priority on in kids and leaning - as an ex IT Technician - and teacher - I saw this from different sides
So - from the point of view of a school - we could get an expensive survey done - or we could put it off and keep a TA employed to help the SEN pupils
Although in my case it was "we could replace the computer server and be able to use all the laptops at once" rather than get the survey done!
it all comes down to money and priorities - and understanding. Many senior managers at school just have not got the understanding and background about things like buildings to do this properly
As long as it was protected from water - i.e. no leaking roof
and was regularly inspected properly and replaced at an appropriate time
Hence, larger buildings with proper professional qualified maintenance staff may well be fine
The problem with schools is that the responsibility has been taken from large LEAs and put onto schools
as well as some of the budget - but managers of schools are teacher who have been promoted and recently they have been under more and more funding pressure
as teachers they put the priority on in kids and leaning - as an ex IT Technician - and teacher - I saw this from different sides
So - from the point of view of a school - we could get an expensive survey done - or we could put it off and keep a TA employed to help the SEN pupils
Although in my case it was "we could replace the computer server and be able to use all the laptops at once" rather than get the survey done!
it all comes down to money and priorities - and understanding. Many senior managers at school just have not got the understanding and background about things like buildings to do this properly
Cirrus
Active Member
History repeating itself, I can recall the collapse of a London school roof due to concrete beam failure (HAC rather than RAAC)
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/la...ospitals-echoes-1970s-hac-debacle-25-08-2021/
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/la...ospitals-echoes-1970s-hac-debacle-25-08-2021/
ebikeerwidnes
Senior Member
I remember that - the top floor of the main teaching block was closed when I was at school
The only room that could still be used was the Staff Room - which must have provoked some comments!
It was interesting a few years later when I was at University and did a course on Properties of Materials - a lot of time was spent on the formation and types of concrete - including the one that caused the problem with my school
I wish I had my old notes as we may have done something about RAAC - unfortunately they were left behind when I left my ex!
ebikeerwidnes
Senior Member
I have to take it all back
actually the government have been doing a "f***ing good job"
Apparently the first thing SUnak did was to implement a refurbishment policy for school
Good for him
500 schools
Unfortunately for him
(you did know this was going to shift ground didn;t you???)
David Mitchell has benn totally unreasonable and done some unauthorised research into speachs and report and stuff
and then gone even further off the proper track with some sums
what a bar steward
even used good English to make his point - posh git that he is
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...chool-revamp-once-every-440-years-isnt-enough
still - f***ing good job there lads and lasses!
actually the government have been doing a "f***ing good job"
Apparently the first thing SUnak did was to implement a refurbishment policy for school
Good for him
500 schools
Unfortunately for him
(you did know this was going to shift ground didn;t you???)
David Mitchell has benn totally unreasonable and done some unauthorised research into speachs and report and stuff
and then gone even further off the proper track with some sums
what a bar steward
even used good English to make his point - posh git that he is
https://www.theguardian.com/comment...chool-revamp-once-every-440-years-isnt-enough
still - f***ing good job there lads and lasses!
