YuleMsee
Structural
- Apr 8, 2018
- 68
Gents and ladies, I have to apologies, I've been a bad friend, I always come to you to help me with my problems, I promise to be a better friend going forward. /s
I'm involved with a fit out job, convert a building with drawings that look nothing like what was built, into offices, Biggest structural component was to demolish two staircases, seal up staircase floor voids and introduce a staircase at some other corner. During the site visit I noticed the beams were iffy, couldn't tell whether it was deflection or formwork moved during casting. The columns are oversized, 600x300mm for a two storey building, I was comfortable matters columns. Asked for non destructive tests for the critical members, "no budget, we need to move fast, under support the beams with I-beams, columns are okay right?"
Contractor moves in, first cladded column they come across, "hallo engineer, we have an issue". Luckily its nowhere near areas we are sealing the voids, so no extra loads to be taken by this particular column, but........ its the end column for that frame
Now, its to forcefully ask for the previously recommended structural audit, determine crack depth, concrete homogeneity..... Then even after the audit, how do you even remedy this, introduce two new columns on either side and rest them on the existing pad foundation to relieve this of at least half the load? How do you protect the rebar......
I'm involved with a fit out job, convert a building with drawings that look nothing like what was built, into offices, Biggest structural component was to demolish two staircases, seal up staircase floor voids and introduce a staircase at some other corner. During the site visit I noticed the beams were iffy, couldn't tell whether it was deflection or formwork moved during casting. The columns are oversized, 600x300mm for a two storey building, I was comfortable matters columns. Asked for non destructive tests for the critical members, "no budget, we need to move fast, under support the beams with I-beams, columns are okay right?"
Contractor moves in, first cladded column they come across, "hallo engineer, we have an issue". Luckily its nowhere near areas we are sealing the voids, so no extra loads to be taken by this particular column, but........ its the end column for that frame
Now, its to forcefully ask for the previously recommended structural audit, determine crack depth, concrete homogeneity..... Then even after the audit, how do you even remedy this, introduce two new columns on either side and rest them on the existing pad foundation to relieve this of at least half the load? How do you protect the rebar......