From cast-in-situ or systems-built multi-storey car parks and tidal marine structures to nationally listed medieval farmhouses, the chances are that RSK has surveyed, assessed or advised on the repair of a similar structure to yours.
When it comes to property and infrastructure asset acquisition or divestment, managing risk is vital to success. To understand the risks associated with physical assets, you need detailed information on the nature and condition of those assets that goes beyond visual inspections and dimensional surveys. Our materials and structures team excels in this area.
RSK’s materials and structures team has been at the forefront of construction material condition assessment for over 30 years. During this time, we have gained unparalleled experience in evaluating different types of structures, environmental exposure conditions and deterioration mechanisms.
Site investigations
Clients choose us when their projects require a particular skill or specific service, because we offer an integrated, multidisciplinary approach tailored to their individual requirements. Whether determining the condition of a historic façade or assessing the building envelope of a new structure, we bring our breadth of expertise to every project.
Our site teams are trained to work on the railway network, in confined spaces and at height using rope access, elevating work platforms and scaffolds. We can conduct non-destructive testing or sensitive intrusive investigations when required.
Laboratory analysis
Our highly qualified scientists and technologists provide professional materials consultancy with allied technical services that are relevant to all life-cycle stages of buildings and civil engineering structures. Our strengths lie in combining fully integrated consulting and testing facilities with extensive experience in investigating traditional and innovative materials in over 60 countries worldwide.
Our in-house laboratories maintain UKAS accreditation for a wide range of British Standards and bespoke testing, which we supplement with resources at some of the UK’s leading universities. Our range of physical, chemical and petrographic tests covers the majority of structural, constituent, fixing and finishing materials used in modern projects and historical works.
Our services
Depending on your requirements and the characteristics of the assets involved, we can provide the following key services:
- Full structural investigation of modern and historical structures, with associated building surveys, to reveal the detailed design principles and quality of past workmanship
- On-site testing, including facade condition assessments, load testing, leak detection, pull-out testing, and covermeter surveys
- IRATA-trained rope access team for surveys of sensitive or difficult to access sites
- Petrographic examination of various materials, including concrete, mortar, plaster, screed, aggregate, building stone, roofing slate and ceramic building material
- Chemical analysis of construction materials including concrete, mortar, render/plaster, bricks and paint to establish a range of properties such as composition or the presence of deleterious materials
- Physical and mechanical testing of concrete, mortar, render, natural and cast stone, roofing slates and tiles, including compressive strength of concrete, slip resistance and abrasion resistance of dimension stone
- Specialist mineralogical and elemental composition analysis, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
- Deleterious materials surveys, including identification and evaluation of alkali-aggregate reactivity, chlorides, high alumina cement (HAC), reinforcement corrosion and sulfates in concrete and calcium silicate bricks
- Construction consultancy at the preconstruction design phase and of existing buildings to determine causes of failure and assess suitability for refurbishment works
- Expert witness services support across a range of disciplines, addressing environmental issues, construction and property management, geophysics, and geotechnical engineering.
