CRL – Enterprise House, East London
CRL Undertake Repairs to Enterprise House, East London
CRL are currently carrying out the repairs and refurbishment of the external facades at Enterprise House (a nine-storey block of 188 retirement flats) in Chingford, East London. The building was originally constructed between 1965 and 1967 and is made up of a concrete frame with concrete block wall in-fills and clad with 80mm pre-cast concrete façade panels. The finish on the precast façade panels is exposed aggregate, whilst the in-situ concrete (stairways and lift shafts) has a rippled/pockmarked finished.
Although repairs had been carried out on the exposed concrete facades in the past, it was apparent that it was time to undertake a new set of repairs and apply another layer of ant-carbonation coating. The anti-carbonation coating applied 18 years previously had done its job but was now degrading and starting to lose its protective abilities. This was resulting in new areas of concrete beginning to spall.
In June 2020, a condition survey and investigation of the external concrete facades was commissioned. Although the concrete frame was in good condition (having been protected from the elements by the concrete façade panels), it was found that a fair number of the concrete panels were in the High, or Extremely High corrosion risk category. This fact, coupled with visibly spalling areas of concrete, encouraged the Client to promptly issue a tender and award the contract to carry out the repairs.
The works consisted mainly of; access works, high pressure cleaning, concrete repairs, joint sealing between precast panels and the application of an anti-carbonation coating.
