RAAC roof replacement to Carmel College

The Brief

The design work was started in late Sept 2023 when the problem was first identified and government advice issued. DFE agreed work could commence in October 2023 as a team was already in place to deliver the project by April 2024 which allowed children to occupy those parts of school which were to be vacated as DFE advice.

The Solution

The team via a roofing specialist and the Trusts structural engineering consultant and Architect, pioneered a safe removal technique for the roof panels using a scaffold crash deck set beneath the roof structure so the panels could be cut into small sections and removed manually. As the work was to take place over the winter months the buildings were fully scaffolded with a temporary roof structure and coverings to protect the buildings and operatives during the replacement operation. This was particularly important for the LRC which had decorative balustrades, staircase and glass lift in its interior which could not be removed. All other fixtures and fittings were removed in both the LRC and catering kitchen.

The LRC is a two-storey structure with a mezzanine upper floor, the RAAC panels were laid over a steel frame and trimmed to form rooflight openings. Precast concrete fascia panels were also attached to the roof where parapets had been formed.
Windows and curtain walling which were steel frame units were fixed to the roof edge beam also, so they had to be removed.

The interior of the library was temporarily decanted including pc stations which were all to be reinstalled upon completion over the Easter vacation.

For the catering kitchen an upgrade was accelerated by the finding of RAAC in the flat roof and was of particular concern as there was roof top plant and equipment as well as ventilation canopies all supported by the roof panels. The kitchen and its servery were immediately closed. A new temporary catering facility was established in portable cabins and food trollies to a temporary set up in the dining room adjacent. This kept the children catered during the two terms of disruption the project would bring.The single storey kitchen and servery roof structure had complex roof abutments and junctions.

All roof top plant had to be removed and replaced. All catering equipment had to be removed and reinstalled or replaced as required.