Rejuvenation of Barry Island’s Eastern Shelter

Bersche-Rolt Celebrates Success at the 2015 Structural Concrete Alliance Awards

Bersche-Rolt Ltd have been announced as the winners of the Repair & Refurbishment category at the Concrete Society Awards 2015 for the concrete repair and coating works they completed in September 2014 to the Grade II listed Barry Island Eastern Shelter in South Wales.

IntroductionThe Eastern Promenade of Barry Island was at the centre of a significant regeneration initiative by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, supported by £3 million of funding from the Welsh Government.

The ProjectAt 60 m long, 12.50m wide and 5.70m tall, the Grade II Listed Eastern Shelter forms an impressive entranceway to the Eastern Promenade. It is a reinforced concrete structure consisting of a concrete roof slab supported by columns on the seaward side, a retaining wall on the landward side and a series of primary and secondary concrete beams.

All structural elements showed signs of concrete defects, with cracking and delamination within the beams and columns, evidence of water ingress, reinforcement corrosion and peeling and discoloured paintwork. There was also evidence of previous concrete repair work, some of which had already started to deteriorate in the harsh marine environment.

DesignWorking closely with Consultant Engineers, Bingham Hall Partnership, Bersche-Rolt first carried out a complete survey of the structure, which included hammer testing of the concrete elements, a cover meter survey, carbonation depth testing and the analysis of samples for chlorides, sulphate and cement content. Adhesion tests were also undertaken to the existing paintwork to establish whether it was suitable for overcoating.

The Bersche-Rolt Engineer prepared a specification for the repairs, using products manufactured by Sika, and compiled drawings showing typical repair details for each concrete element and a key plan of the structure, all backed up by an itemised schedule of works showing the size and location of each repair.

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ProgressSpecialist concrete repair subcontractor, Bersche-Rolt Ltd started the project in March 2014 with initial investigations followed by 6 months of concrete repair and coating works. All of which were completed ahead of schedule in September 2014.

Following the initial investigations the works to be undertaken included the cutting back of defective areas of concrete, cleaning and priming the exposed reinforcement by abrasive blast cleaning and the application of a reinforcement primer, the application of a bonding bridge, erecting shuttering and repairing the concrete to the original profiles.

Upon investigation the rear of the concrete retaining wall, which is approximately 300mm thick, was found to have no additional waterproofing. The additional cost, timescale and disruption to the main contract of applying any waterproofing system to either side of the wall was clearly prohibitive.

Following discussions between the Bersche-Rolt Engineer, WRW Construction Ltd, the principal contractor, and Bingham Hall Partnership, a cut off land drain was installed by a drainage contractor in an attempt to limit the flow of water behind the wall. This proved to be successful and in combination with the reinstatement of the deteriorating concrete, there is no evidence of further water ingress.

The adhesion tests to the existing coatings showed that they were suitable for overcoating and Bersche-Rolt painted the complete structure with a three-part protective anti-

carbonation system in a decorative coloured finish.

The coating system incorporated an intermediate crack bridging coat designed to reduce the appearance of any minor surface imperfections.

Its application helped to avoid the requirement for the removal of the existing coatings and the application of a fairing coat, which showed significant time and cost savings.

Bersche-Rolt worked closely with WRW Construction to ensure that the repairs to the shelter were completed as quickly as possible without obstructing access for the heavy plant and machinery being used at the far end of the promenade by the other trades on site.

In order to facilitate this, each work operation related to the repair of the shelter was undertaken from MEWPs, including cherry pickers and scissor lifts and a suspended cradle, which was used to reach the external cornice and balustrade around the perimeter of the shelter’s roof.

The survey and remedial work were completed by Bersche-Rolt on budget and to a tight programme within a complex overall construction operation.The benefits of the Eastern Promenade scheme can be considered under the themes of character, connectivity, adaptability and public realm.

The Eastern Shelter, now fully restored, sits proudly within the surrounding landscape and on Barry Island’s rejuvenated Eastern Promenade.

Bersche-Rolt LimitedStream House, Heron’s GhyllUckfield, East Sussex.TN22 4BY

01825 713000sales@bersche-rolt.co.ukbersche-rolt.co.uk

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