Buildings maintenance is one of the major challenges for the operators.

As a specialist main contractor, we can help you refine the maintenance strategy for the structural elements of your building, and provide customized solutions to repair, strengthen and protect it.

  • Types of structures

    Residential buildings
    Office buildings
    Towers
    High-rise buildings
    Car parks
    Commercial centers
    Public facilities
    Swimming pools
    Hospitals
    Factory buidlings
    Logistic platforms
    Seaside buildings

Buildings pathologies encountered

Defects and failures occur through natural deterioration, specification issues, defective design, material or workmanship, lack of maintenance, improper use or environmental factors. However, it is not always clear what constitutes a defect and what has caused it. And it is often a combination of many factors.

Cite-radieuse-France -©Lisa_RICCIOTTI

©Lisa RICCIOTTI

  • Ageing of materials
  • Penetration of moisture
  • Penetration of carbon dioxide
  • Penetration of chloride and sulfites
  • Concrete carbonation
  • Action of freeze / thaw cycles
  • Thermal stress
  • Aggressive environment (pollution, acid fumes, etc)

  • Initial design or construction defect
  • Material fatigue, impact of rolling loads
  • Excessive live service loads
  • Improper use

  • Storms
  • Fire
  • Explosions
  • Ground movements, earthquakes
  • Impacts, vibrations

  • Change of use
  • Change to the structure (storeys, columns, new openings, etc)
  • Increased service loads
  • New standards
Our interdisciplinary approach

From investigations to remedial works

Clémenceau medical center, Amman, Jordan
Clémenceau medical center, Amman, Jordan

Change of use: from residential building to medical center

  • New organisation of the space required
  • Strengthening needs

/ Solutions provided:

  • Reinforcement of existing structures with 3000 tonnes of dry shocrete
  • Reinforcement of existing slabs with 25000 meters of carbon fibers strips
  • Locking of the tendons to the existing PT slabs to create openings
  • Creation of new beams

Read the case study

Initial design or construction defect

  • Corrosion of the reinforcement bars of the precast concrete beams
  • Critical concrete spalling

/ Design and build contract including:

  • Specific mast-climbing access platforms
  • Galvanic protection of rebars
  • Repair of defects with special mortars and concrete
  • Abrasive blasting of surfaces and protection by water repellent coating
MLC Tower, Sydney, Australia
MLC Tower, Sydney, Australia
Jacking of Asticus Building, London, UK
Asticus building, Westminster, London, UK

Increase of the building height by one floor

/ Hydraulic lifting of the top floor including:

  • Post tensioning work to strengthen the existing 9th floor slab
  • Installation of steel lateral restraints to structurally restrain the building prior to disconnecting the top levels
  • Concrete cutting
  • Installation of special friction-based column clamping systems
  • Operation of 400T hydraulic jacks with a synchronized lifting system

Fire heavy damages

/ Structural assessment and repair works:

  • Visual inspection
  • Detailed investigation and tests to define repair needs for concrete, steel reinforcement and PT cables
  • Installation of an off-loading system to reduce the loads in the columns by 25%
  • Remedial works with shotcrete and other techniques.
Viceroi Dubai, Jumeira village circle, UAE
Viceroi Dubai, Jumeira village circle, UAE
Cité radieuse, Marseille, France ©Lisa RICCIOTTI
Cité radieuse, Marseille, France ©Lisa RICCIOTTI

Ageing of materials and fire induced damages

/ Solutions provided:

  • Facade repair works
  • Dry shotcrete works

Change of use

In the heart of Paris, the Forum des Halles shopping center built in the 70’s is completely restructured to become a “Canope”.

/ Solutions provided:

  • Additional prestressing
  • Strengthening of new support structures with additional prestressing and Freyssibar
Restructuration of Forum des Halles in Paris, France
Restructuration of Forum des Halles in Paris, France
Nesma headquarters office building, Saudi Arabia
Nesma headquarters office building, Saudi Arabia

Defective design & change of use

  • Excessive deflection of the 6th and 7th floor slabs
  • Visual cracks observed
  • Higher loads than the original design for these floors

/ Solutions provided:

  • Design and execution of strengthening works
  • Introduction of a prestressed beam

Lack of resistance of the steel structure
and defective design or construction of the roof

  • Major deformations observed
  • Water leakages on rainy days

/ Design and build contract:

  • Installation of 30 steel and 22 concrete columns, 7m high, to support the 1160m long beams added to the structure
  • Total roof replacement, using steel trusses
  • Night work, to ensure the continuity of commercial activity
Shopping mall roof Argentina
Shopping mall roof, Argentina
Indoor parking, Silver Spring, USA
Indoor parking, Silver Spring, USA

Defective design

/ Solutions provided:

  • Crack injection
  • Repair of PT slabs
  • Replacement of PT cables and joints

More case studies

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