Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Update
Posted on behalf of: Better Campus Team
Last updated: Monday, 11 September 2023
Find out what’s happening at Sussex about RAAC
As you will have likely seen or heard, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete or RAAC, as it is more commonly known, has received huge amounts of media and political attention over the past few weeks.
RAAC may be a new topic to many, but at Sussex we are already working on the replacement of RAAC panels across our estate as part of our planned Capital Programme, and works are underway in Bramber House, which is one of five buildings where RAAC is present.
What is RAAC?
RAAC is a material that was commonly used in the construction industry from the 1960s to 1980s. It is a slab of concrete with air holes making it both lighter and with better insulation properties when compared to dense concrete slabs – the difference has been likened to an Aero chocolate bar vs a Dairy Milk bar. RAAC has a lifespan of around 30 years, but can still be found in some UK buildings, particularly in public buildings built in that era.
RAAC at Sussex
In 2022, we commissioned an initial desktop survey of twenty-seven buildings which identified the use of RAAC in five university buildings. These are:
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Bramber House
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JMS
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Chichester I
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Chichester II
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Arundel
In collaboration with the University of Sussex Health and Safety Team, our colleagues at SEF, and industry experts, the Sussex Estates Capital Projects Team took immediate action to initiate works to ensure that staff and students could continue to use buildings safely. All buildings impacted by RAAC remain open and safe to use, with some restrictions to access where essential, and we will continue to survey all buildings on campus as part of our RAAC replacement programme.
Next steps
The health and safety of staff and students has been a priority throughout this process and will continue to be so. Our RAAC safety measures are regularly reviewed to ensure that they continue to be effective.
The process to replace RAAC is already underway here at Sussex, and each impacted building will have its RAAC panels replaced, regardless of condition. The replacement of RAAC within each building will be managed separately and alongside other planned improvement works to ensure that we deliver the best solution for each building.
You can read more about the Bramber House works on the Student Hub.
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This information is correct at the time of publishing. But please note that all project work is fast-moving, and plans are subject to change.
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