RAAC update: beam collapse influences Government to close schools

The story is moving fast that schools across the country have been closed after the holidays end, following a collapsed beam highlighting just how dangerous RAAC materials are in school buildings.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is bubbly to look at and to touch, and was seen as a cheaper and quicker alternative when building large institutions like schools and hospitals between the 1950s and mid-1990s.

Only recently a school was closed due to a fallen RAAC support beam that had been held in place with RAAC, bringing to light the fact that the lifespan of the material is coming to an end.

We reported on RAAC in June after the NAO and DfE released a report showing over 600 schools – 38% of all state schools – across the country were on the brink of collapse, even though years earlier, the government estimated that percentage was closer to just 3%.

RAAC unfortunately has a lifespan of roughly 30 years which puts buildings constructed between the 1950-1990s using RAAC at significant risk of material failure. We support the decision to shut schools in case of tragedy, but we have strongly recommended surveying for defects in your RAAC for a long time in a hope that this could be avoided.

Director of our Manchester office Ashley Parkinson comments: “those in the building industry have been expecting something like this for a while, but this sudden decision could have been avoided with regular due diligence.”

“As experts in building consultancy within the education sector, we would recommend having a survey done immediately to grant you peace of mind. Hopefully, it will be nothing, but it is better to be safe than sorry.”

Eddisons offers condition surveys across Great Britain, as well as other building and project consultancy services, on top of expertise pertaining the education sector such as CIF application and decarbonisation schemes.