RAAC Assessment in Sandhurst
Finding RAAC in a building in Sandhurst is the start of a decision, not the end of one. The RAAC assessment is the engineering judgement that follows: a panel-by-panel classification by John Staves (CEng FIStructE, MIoD), a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC, based on the survey and scanning carried out by Neil Smuts (MCIOB, MInstNDT, FRCSP), President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard and a Fellow of the Register of Concrete Scanning Professionals, and a clear statement of what should happen next.
- 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. Sandhurst is local to us.
How John Staves assesses RAAC
A RAAC assessment is an engineering judgement, and it is only as good as the evidence it starts from. Ours starts from a survey and scanning record gathered by Neil Smuts (MCIOB, MInstNDT, FRCSP), President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard and a Fellow of the Register of Concrete Scanning Professionals, with the assessing engineer's questions already in mind. John Staves (CEng FIStructE, MIoD), a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC, then classifies every panel against the current Institution of Structural Engineers guidance, identifies anything needing immediate action, sets out a monitoring and management position for the rest, and gives a clear view on whether strengthening in place is realistic for the building.
Why the assessment decides the budget
The standard response to RAAC has been to prop the area and plan a replacement roof. For many buildings that is unnecessary, and for a school, clinic or hall in Sandhurst it means decant, temporary accommodation and a programme measured in years. Where the assessment supports it, RAAC planks can be strengthened in place with bespoke CFRP, designed to the capacity the roof actually needs, with the building staying in use. 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.
Because Structured Carbon designs, manufactures, installs and monitors that strengthening, the assessment is not a hand-off to someone else's product. It is the first stage of our RAACSafe™ Protocol: Assess, Design, Manufacture, Install, Monitor.
RAAC structural inspection and engineering inspection in Sandhurst
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 Sandhurst, 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.
The buildings in Sandhurst this applies to
Sandhurst sits in the Bracknell Forest Council area, close to Crowthorne, Camberley and Yateley. It is the Royal Military Academy estate and the Meadows retail park anchor a town of post-war housing, and it holds post-war schools, the leisure centre and community buildings that grew with the housing. 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. That is the building stock the RAAC assessment question applies to: anything with a flat or shallow roof from the 1950s to the mid 1990s, whether school, clinic, hall, leisure centre or office.
Prioritising buildings in Sandhurst
Not every building in Sandhurst needs a RAAC assessment, and we would rather tell you that than sell you one. The ones that do are flat-roofed, date from the 1950s to the mid 1990s, and have never had RAAC confirmed or excluded by scanning. Under Bracknell Forest Council that generally means post-war schools, the leisure centre and community buildings that grew with the housing. Ranked by occupancy and by the consequence of a failure, that list usually puts schools, health buildings and places of assembly first, then offices and industrial units.
The assessment report
The assessment is written to be used, not filed. For each panel in the building in Sandhurst: 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 Sandhurst.
What you can rely on
Three things matter to the people who have to act on a RAAC assessment in Sandhurst: who signed it, how quickly it arrives, and whether the firm behind it is properly insured. Every assessment is signed by a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, which is what trusts, NHS estates, insurers and funders look for. The report follows within five working days of the site visit, depending on the size of the survey and the level of detail required, and we can usually be on site in Berkshire within one to two days. Professional indemnity insurance is held to a maximum of £10 million, with public and employers' liability arranged on a per-site basis.
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
How quickly can you assess a building in Sandhurst?
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.
Who carries out the RAAC assessment?
John Staves (CEng FIStructE, MIoD), a chartered structural engineer and one of the UK's leading specialists in RAAC. He carries out all of the structural calculations and assessments for Structured Carbon.
Do I need a survey before an assessment?
Yes. The assessment is an engineering judgement on evidence, and the evidence comes from the survey. If your building in Sandhurst has not been surveyed, we do that first, led by Neil Smuts, and deliver the two together.
Can you assess from someone else's survey?
Sometimes. If an existing survey records what the assessment needs, panel by panel, we can work from it. Where it does not, we will say what is missing rather than assess on thin evidence.
Also in Sandhurst
RAAC survey in Sandhurst
RAAC survey in Sandhurst, Berkshire, by Neil Smuts MCIOB MInstNDT FRCSP, President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard.
RAAC survey in SandhurstRAAC scanning in Sandhurst
RAAC scanning in Sandhurst, Berkshire: non-destructive identification of RAAC planks and their reinforcement by Neil Smuts, President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard.
RAAC scanning in SandhurstRAAC assessment near Sandhurst
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Related: RAAC strengthening, RAAC remediation in Berkshire, RAAC confirmed buildings register, RAAC in schools.