The final act is the re-waterproofing of the 35 storey apartment blocks roof. An aged and deteriorated bituminous membrane was removed to be replaced with the Sika Floor N – Elastic polyurethane membrane system. The system was to be applied to an exacting specification produced by Majcon which required detailed preparation of the roof slab by diamond grinding to remove residues of the old bituminous membrane and to open up the pore structure to receive the Sikafloor 160 – 2 part epoxy resin primer. Three coats of the Sika Floor N elastic membrane were then applied after suitable recoating and curing times. Technical reps from Sika Construction Chemicals regularly attended site to inspect the work in progress and to advise on tricky detailing issues and interfaces with roof plant areas and equipment.

The complete roof area, is now in the process of being paved with a porcelain paver from the Urban Surface collection supplied by Amber Stanmore. The 600×400 pavers are being mounted on paver pads supplied by Elmich.

At completion the whole roof area will have a smart new look and further works are planned into the future to enable the occupiers of this major high rise building to enjoy the amenity the roof area provides, an outstanding view point to enjoy those special views of Sydney Harbour.

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In Sydney, Sydney Sandstone in most cases, provides a good stable material on which to found a building. If the rock layer is found at shallow to moderate depths then raft slabs, piers or piles can be utilised to provide effective footings. Smaller buildings, or buildings where the rock depth is excessive often resort to footing designs in the soil layers. Performance of footings in soil layers can vary depending on the applied loading, drainage and other environmental factors.

Inner Sydney is blessed with sandstone relatively close to the surface, or, there exists a relatively shallow sandy clay over that sandstone. As we move westwards deeper clay layers are found which often give rise to expansive clay conditions whereby clay layers shrink or swell depending on moisture content. Historically Sydney summers have provided good rainfall resulting in little difference in the moisture content of clay layers during summer or winter but of late more frequent drought conditions have caused a resurgence in damage to buildings due to the effects of expansive clays as the seasonal moisture differentials increase.

As a remedial building company and foundation repair experts we see foundation failure resulting from a variety of causes including inadequate initial understanding of the ground conditions leading to inadequate design. The old adage that ‘a site investigation is paid for whether it occurs or not’ often rings true as rectification costs mount.

Other causes of foundation failure include, inadequate control of ground water or changed ground water conditions. It is largely true that if you can control the water on site then the site is under control. Flooding, gradual seepage or installation of close by deep basements re-routing groundwater flow paths as an example, can all have damaging effects on footings.

Whilst there are many causes of footing failures in buildings, in all cases, there is a need to properly understand, design and construct remedial works to ensure effective repairs are undertaken. This requires the services of structural engineers to design the works and contractors to undertake the works. Both parties must be experienced and  skilled in works of this type to make the problems just go away…

Contact Structial today!

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