Traditional Masonry Archives

Product Profile: Repairing Fire Damage in Historic Buildings

The 900 year-old Windsor Castle is the home of Her Majesty the Queen of England, and is the repository of many of the Royal artifacts, including priceless art treasures. At 11:37 am Friday, November the 20th, 1992, fire broke out, and much of the castle was devastated by the raging inferno that ensued. The fire raged all day and at 6:30 pm the Brunswick Tower was engulfed. The intense heat caused the castellated section of the tower to fracture, with the possible risk of collapse.

Initially there seemed little choice but to dismantle and rebuild the top section of the tower. However the versatility of the Cintec Anchoring System enabled the Engineers to design a repair solution that restored the structural integrity without further disruption to the unstable stonework. Throughout the damaged areas of the castle Cintec Anchors were used to restore the integrity of the walls and provide repair and strengthening solutions to this magnificent Heritage Building.

Repair: The Latest Diamond Drilling Techniques were used to create a network of holes within the stonework. The Cintec anchors were then installed creating a reinforcing ring, within the fabric of the stonework, maintaining the original appearance of the tower.

Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, Australia
Cintec Anchors have been used in the sensitive restoration of Australia's largest provincial Cathedral in Newcastle. Commenced in 1893, Christ Church was badly damaged (in an earthquake in 1989) measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake resulted in extensive cracking in the brickwork and caused stone crosses and finals to fall off the top of this majestic gothic style building.

The estimated repair cost after the Newcastle earthquake was two billion dollars in Australian currency. Christ Church Cathedral is the largest and most difficult restoration project to be undertaken to date where over two-hundred Cintec anchors, measuring up to 35 meters in length, are being used in the repair and restoration, that will take approximately eighteen months to complete.

The work entails restoration and re-enforcement against future earthquakes in accordance with current design codes. All Cintec anchors are assembled from a 316 grade of stainless steel to ensure the structural integrity of the repairs longevity against damage from salt air. Structural Engineer Bill Jordan, Cintec's Representative for Australia, explains, "Two key factors determine the selection of the Cintec anchor system. Firstly, it allowed the project engineers to strictly control the grout as it was being injected into the anchors. Secondly, each Cintec anchor was engineered for specific loadings that would guarantee the load capacity."

TM