PIPERS ROW CAR PARK COLLAPSE: IDENTIFYING RISK. SOME LESSONS ON THE APPRAISAL, INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF DETERIORATING CONCRETE.

SCOSS had warned of the risks from the deterioration of car parks before 120 tonnes of top floor slab of Pipers Row Car Park, Wolverhampton, UK collapsed at night in 1997. For a decade before, signs of concrete deterioration were evident and various inspections and repairs were carried out. The potential consequences of this deterioration and the vulnerability of flat slab construction to punching shear failure and progressive collapse were not appreciated prior to the collapse. New guidance on car park design and maintenance and more generally on the assessment, inspection and repair of structures, have highlighted the importance of a structural understanding as a precondition for the identification of problems and for successful remedial works for the growing number of deteriorating concrete structures. Health and safety requirements make it essential for owners, operators, engineers, materials specialists, repair and demolition contractors to work as a team in developing overall risk assessments for deteriorating structures based on full exchange of information and records. For the covering abstract see ITRD E122906.