Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors are able to offer specialist advice to schools in relation to RAAC in their school buildings. Our Education Team are able to survey school estates to advise on the presence (or not) of RAAC, thereafter offering guidance on the next steps to take in line with current government guidance.
What is RAAC?
RAAC is otherwise known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – a type of concrete that is weaker than traditional concrete, with a structure featuring aerated bubbles. RAAC was used in school building construction and alterations during the late 1950’s – 1990’s – commonly in roofs and on occasion, also in floors and walls. Due to the weaker nature of RAAC in comparison to standard concrete, along with the timeframe since it was used in construction, there are concerns that schools containing the material may be at risk of structural failure.
This results from the collapse of an RAAC roof deck at a Kent primary school in 2018, which has now caused concern for other schools who must now establish whether their school building contain RAAC.
What action do schools need to take?
Unfortunately, due to the often hard-to-access areas RAAC was used, many schools remain unaware as to whether or not their buildings are at risk. Schools have been asked to provide information to the Department for Education as to the presence of the material in their estates.
To gain a full and clear picture, schools would be wise to instruct a Chartered Building Surveyor to inspect the school and report on the presence of RAAC in the school’s buildings. This is a service Lea Hough is able to offer. During the RAAC inspection, our Surveyors would identify any areas containing RAAC, providing a full and detailed report on the locations and also the condition of the concrete and the surrounding structure. Depending on our findings, our Surveyors would then be able to provide further advice on potential next steps and whether or not urgent action is required.
Lea Hough has a specialist team of School Building Consultants that combine knowledge of building surveying with a focus on schools and the education sector. For an initial chat with one of our School building Consultants and to find out more about how we can assist, please contact us.
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