Performance Evaluation of Patch Repairs on Historic Concrete Structures (PEPS): Preliminary Results from Two English Case Studies

Abstract

AbstractThe development of reinforced concrete through the 20th century has resulted in a wealth of historically and culturally significant concrete structures around the world. However, the durability and deterioration mechanisms of this new material were not well understood and, as a result, many historic reinforced concrete structures require ongoing maintenance and repair. Patch repairs are common during repair campaigns. However, balancing traditional conservation principles, such as minimal intervention and retreatability, with the best practices of contemporary concrete repair and the need to provide repairs which do not affect the historic aesthetic of the structure can be challenging. Three institutions, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), Historic England (HE) and Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques (LRMH) are collaborating on the research project, ‘the Performance Evaluation of Patch Repairs on Historic Concrete Structures (PEPS)’, which aims to provide guidance on this issue. Over the course of the project, historic structures in the USA, France and England, which have been repaired previously have been assessed. This paper presents a comparison of the preliminary results from two case studies from England and discusses the different repair approaches that were implemented.