Krol Corlett has completed a £700,000 RAAC removal project at healthcare centre Birch House.
The project was for the safe removal of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from the hospital’s existing structure.
RAAC was widely used in the UK and elsewhere from the 1950s to the 1990s in hospitals as it was cheap, quick to install, and lighter than traditional concrete.
The porous material has since been determined to have a limited lifespan (about 30 years) and can fail suddenly without visible warning.
Therefore, NHS Trust across the UK have been making urgent efforts to remove this material.
NHS Wirral University Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust and Krol took five months to complete the scheme.
The works involved:
- Installation of a new roofing system, designed to improve performance and resilience.
- Associated remedial works to strengthen and futureproof the building fabric.
- Careful phasing and sequencing of construction activity to ensure continuity of hospital operations.
- Implementation of temporary weatherproofing solutions during each stage of RAAC removal.
- Restricted access management, with all materials lifted and distributed using cranage.
- Protection of existing Fire Fighting Systems (FFS) and enhanced safeguards for the hospital’s critical safety infrastructure.
The project required meticulous planning, strict health and safety controls, and close collaboration with the client to ensure minimal disruption to patients, staff and ongoing clinical services.
Image credit: Krol Corlett