Wellington Crescent Ramsgate Weather Protection

Restorative Works on a Large Scale

Project Strategic CHALLENGES

Project SYN0PSIS

The existing panelled wall construction was becoming damaged from excess moisture and pressure building up from the cliff face immediately behind it. The forces applied to the wall had begun cracking the structure and causing movement to the panels. Without restorative works being undertaken, stability issues would result where the wall was designed to screen the cliff face and not retain it.

Our Challenges with the Wellington Crescent Ramsgate Weather Protection Project

The wall structure covers a total length of 280m over 3Nr sections, and is at an average height of 20m. Clearly getting access to the wall to enable the works was a key element to the scheme, and the resulting scaffolding solution provided adequate and safe access for the operatives to carry out the repair works and the weather protecting measures as planned.

In considering the scale of the works all safety measures and precautions had to be fully understood at the outset in terms of our own operatives and the public.

The scaffolding was anchored into the sea wall in order to get the stability required for a working platform tight against the wall, which on section leans back towards the shore as it rises.
Once the scaffolding was completed the restorative works could commence. The works included the complete removal and rebuilding of 3Nr blockwork panels, the new walls were reinforced and anchored back into the cliff face to eliminate any collapse in the future should significant movement occur again to wall.

The installation of the walls also included provision for a cavity drain to deal with moisture between the cliff face and the new reinforced walls. Backfilling with granular material as the wall progressed giving further relief to the wall from the pressures exerted onto it.

Crack repairs were also carried across the whole face of the wall, with some cracks as wider than 20mm. They were filled by scabbling back to sound concrete and then sealing the surface ready for applying an epoxy levelling mortar.

The total face of the wall then had applied to it a primer, Malech (Mapei), which gives the substrate even absorption before applying two final coats of Elastocolor (Mapei) that would prevent moisture from soaking the wall through from the exposed face of the wall.

As a result, our client was left with the wall fully restored and shielded from moisture on both sides ensuring its stability and long term integrity.