2 Quay St, Ultimo

Large high-rise apartment upgrade

THE PROBLEM

Signs of rusting ferrules, general degradation of the facade coating, and some concrete spalling had been evident for some time.

In conjunction with Cooper Design Services, we undertook trials to assess the damage and develop a repair strategy for the whole building.

The specification for Stage 1 North elevation was taken to tender and we were successful.

THE CONSTRAINTS

We knew that working from swing stages on such a tall and exposed building would be problematic. The building was fully occupied and the stages and supporting structures had to be set up on terraces and balconies and remain
there for long periods.

In other areas, particularly at higher levels, lightweight scaffold had to be installed to access the facade areas.

THE SOLUTION & METHODOLOGY

Having installed sufficient access systems to commence works, we then undertook a detailed survey of each drop prior to the specific tasks being completed.

These were:

• Exposing the cast-in stressing anchors and ferrules identified
• Trimming the stressing cables and preparing and treating the steelwork
• Backfilling the anchor blocks and ferrule cavities with a repair mortar and matching texture finish to each location.

Over 1,800 of these structural repairs were undertaken during the nearly two years of the project.

The program duration extended as the owners—with a successful Stage 1 nearly completed, decided to continue the work to all four elevations.

Other works undertaken included extensive joint sealing and crack sealing repairs, concrete repairs where discovered, and a myriad of “fix-it” jobs of all descriptions that were discovered on a near daily basis as the project progressed.

The facades were cleaned, primed and then coated in a facade membrane coating system. Balconies were also cleaned and painted as part of the process.

THE RESULT

Notwithstanding the very exposed and windy area, our site team delivered an excellent result for the owners.