RAAC Assessment in Binfield
A RAAC assessment tells you what the survey findings mean: which panels in a building in Binfield are safe to keep in use, which need propping or monitoring, and whether the roof can be strengthened in place rather than replaced. At Structured Carbon the assessment is carried out by John Staves (CEng FIStructE, MIoD), a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC, working directly from the survey by Neil Smuts (MCIOB, MInstNDT, FRCSP), President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard and a Fellow of the Register of Concrete Scanning Professionals.
- Assessed by John Staves, CEng FIStructE MIoD, a chartered engineer who specialises in RAAC
- Built on survey and scanning evidence from Neil Smuts, MCIOB MInstNDT FRCSP
- Panel-by-panel: what can stay in use, what needs propping, what needs monitoring
- Strengthen-or-replace answered honestly, with the cost picture
Based in Finchampstead, Wokingham. Binfield is local to us.
How John Staves assesses RAAC
The assessment takes the survey record for the building in Binfield, panel by panel, and turns it into engineering conclusions. Each panel is classified on its condition, bearing, cracking, deflection and exposure to water, with reference to the current Institution of Structural Engineers guidance on RAAC. The assessment states which panels can remain in use as they are, which need propping or restricted use now, which should be monitored, and which need intervention.
It then answers the question the budget depends on: can this roof be strengthened in place, or does it need to come out? Where strengthening is viable, the assessment says so and sets out what the scheme would need to achieve.
Why the assessment decides the budget
For a governing body, a trust board or a council property committee in Binfield, the assessment is the document that decides between two very different futures for the building: months of strengthening with the building in use, or years of replacement with everyone decanted. We write it so that the reasoning is visible, panel by panel, and so that the strengthen-or-replace conclusion can be defended to an insurer, a funder or the Department for Education. Across the RAAC tenders we cost, a bespoke CFRP scheme engineered for that exact roof frequently comes in at well below 15 per cent of the cost of full replacement. On one tender, a roof costed at around £40 million to replace was priced for strengthening at under £4 million.
RAAC structural inspection and engineering inspection in Binfield
An engineering inspection is the evidence-gathering half of the assessment: scanning for reinforcement and bearing length, measured deflection, cracking, moisture and previous repairs, panel by panel. The structural assessment is the judgement built on it: each panel placed in a risk category against the Institution of Structural Engineers guidance, the immediate actions, the monitoring position, and the strengthen-or-replace recommendation. For schools, academies, NHS estates and councils in Binfield, the two are delivered together and signed by a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. A full engineering inspection of a large or complex building is priced per building; a visual survey, where that is all that is needed, starts from £395.
Binfield and the RAAC era
We know Binfield well: it is a village on the edge of Bracknell now absorbing the Blue Mountain and Amen Corner developments, with village schools and halls alongside large new housing, and around 4,900 residents under Bracknell Forest Council. Frimley Park Hospital, which serves this part of Berkshire, is a publicly identified RAAC hospital and is being replaced under the New Hospital Programme, which has put RAAC on the agenda for every estates team in the area. Ask the RAAC assessment question of any flat-roofed building here that predates the mid 1990s, because that is where RAAC planks were used.
Where to begin if you manage property in Binfield
The question is not "does Binfield have RAAC" but "which of my buildings might". The answer sits in the construction dates. Buildings of the RAAC era in and around Binfield, Bracknell and Wokingham typically include village schools and halls alongside large new housing. Pull the dates for each, note which have flat roofs, and treat every one that fits as unconfirmed until a RAAC assessment says otherwise. We are happy to look at the list with you before anything is booked.
What you receive
The assessment is written to be used, not filed. For each panel in the building in Binfield: what it is, what condition it is in, how it classifies against the Institution of Structural Engineers guidance, and what should happen to it. For the building as a whole: the immediate actions, the monitoring position, and the strengthen-or-replace recommendation with its reasoning. Signed by John Staves (CEng FIStructE, MIoD), a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC. Where no survey exists yet, we start with the RAAC survey in Binfield.
Practicalities
We can usually be on site in Berkshire within one to two days, and the report follows within five working days of the site visit, depending on the size of the survey and the level of detail required. Evening, weekend and holiday visits are no problem, which matters for occupied buildings in Binfield. Professional indemnity insurance is held to a maximum of £10 million, with public and employers' liability arranged on a per-site basis, and every assessment is signed by a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, which is what trusts, NHS estates, insurers and funders look for.
Two named specialists, one team
Neil Smuts, MCIOB MInstNDT FRCSP
Survey, scanning and monitoring. President, UK Concrete Scanning StandardNeil leads the survey, scanning and monitoring side of every Structured Carbon project. He is President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard, a member of the Chartered Institute of Building and the Institute of NDT, and a Fellow of the Register of Concrete Scanning Professionals. LinkedIn
John Staves, CEng FIStructE MIoD
Structural assessment and CFRP designJohn is a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC. He carries out the structural assessment and designs every strengthening scheme. John received both the Regional and the National Innovation Award at the HSBC Commercial Banking and Federation of Small Businesses Small Business Growth Awards for his work on RAAC repair. LinkedIn
Thank you, we have your enquiry
One of the team will come back to you within one working day. If it is urgent, call +44 118 430 8430.
RAAC assessment FAQs
Will the assessment tell me to replace the roof?
Only if that is the right answer. Some panels are beyond strengthening and the assessment will say so. Many roofs can be strengthened in place with bespoke CFRP at a fraction of replacement cost, and the assessment sets out whether yours is one of them. Where strengthening is right, it is done with the UK's first CFRP system designed specifically for RAAC, insurer approved and extensively tested.
Can the building stay in use while it is assessed?
Normally, yes. If the survey has found anything that needs immediate action, such as propping or taking a room out of use, we tell you on the day rather than waiting for the report.
What is the RAACSafe Protocol?
Our five-stage process for RAAC: Assess, Design, Manufacture, Install and Monitor. The assessment is stage one. If strengthening is the answer, the same team carries the building through the other four. Together they ensure safe, quality-controlled delivery throughout. Our instrumented monitoring devices are in active service on RAAC roofs today.
How quickly can you assess a building in Binfield?
We are based in Finchampstead, Wokingham, so we can usually be on site in Berkshire within one to two days, and the report follows within five working days of the site visit, depending on the size of the survey and the level of detail required.
Will my trust, insurer or funder accept the assessment?
Every assessment is signed by a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, which is what trusts, NHS estates, insurers and funders look for. Professional indemnity insurance is held to a maximum of £10 million, with public and employers' liability arranged on a per-site basis.
What are the RAAC risk categories?
The Institution of Structural Engineers guidance places each RAAC panel in a risk category based on its condition, bearing, deflection, cracking and exposure to water, from panels needing no immediate action to panels needing action now. The assessment states the category for every panel in the building and what each category requires.
What does a RAAC structural inspection cost?
It is priced per building, because size, access and the level of detail required vary enormously; a large hospital estate and a village hall are not the same job. As a guide, a visual RAAC survey starts from £395. A full engineering inspection of a large or complex building, a hospital for example, is priced per building once we know its size, access and the level of detail required.
Also in Binfield
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RAAC survey in Binfield, Berkshire, by Neil Smuts MCIOB MInstNDT FRCSP, President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard.
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RAAC scanning in Binfield, Berkshire: non-destructive identification of RAAC planks and their reinforcement by Neil Smuts, President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard.
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Related: RAAC strengthening, RAAC remediation in Berkshire, RAAC confirmed buildings register, RAAC in schools.