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Lintels secured for housing association flats

Client:	West Mercia Housing Group
Location:	Vicarage Court, Worcester
Approved Installer:	ASRS Ltd
Reference No:	CS046

Vicarage Court, a four storey block of social housing flats and bedsits built in the 1980's, had developed unstable soldier course lintels as the result of a poor design detail at the construction stage. Some of these bricks had become loose and, in certain areas, fallen to the ground causing serious health and safety concerns. The project engineer specified Helifix products and repair techniques as the best means of ensuring a rapid, non-disruptive and economical solution to the problem.

Helifix Solution

Some 600m of stainless steel HeliBars were bonded into the mortar beds above the windows on the corners of the block. These created masonry beams which supported the external brick leaf, spreading the loads and preventing them from bearing down on the soldier courses. DryFix remedial ties were then installed to secure the soldier course brickwork back to the internal concrete floor slabs. After repointing and making good there was virtually no evidence of the concealed repair work. The hidden repairs secured the lintels economically and with minimal disruption. The original brickwork was retained and the costly and disruptive alternative of rebuilding or replacing the existing lintels was avoided.