2009 - PCA Structural Maintenance Feature for Museums and Heritage Environments

The nation’s climate presents challenges to school maintenance professionals faced with protecting properties against the elements.

 

Our weather, coupled with specification factors, can all create problems with water in school buildings.

 

As the trade body in the UK for the damp-proofing and timber preservation industry, The Property Care Association (PCA) provides technical expertise and advice for property professionals and local education authorities looking for guidance on the subject.

 

The Huntingdon-based trade body – which also represents the UK’s structural waterproofing, structural maintenance and flood remediation sectors - brings together training, high levels of technical expertise and professional surveyor, manufacturer and contractor members.

 

PCA members are all carefully vetted before being awarded membership - and are then subject to rigorous auditing procedures once admitted to the trade body. Members of the PCA can offer insured guarantees for much of the work they undertake.

 

The expertise of the Association’s members is often called upon to carry out specialist surveys – to accurately identify potential problems - together with a range of other services and expertise ultimately designed to preserve and protect school buildings across the UK.

 

Many of the Association’s members have experience of working within school environments and understand the concerns and special requirements needed within these areas.

 

The PCA, formerly the British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association (BWPDA), also delivers training and educational programmes for the industry to promote new techniques and the latest research findings.

 

This includes the issue of ventilation and condensation, covered in a new series of one-day workshops – running throughout 2009 and 2010 - where delegates can gain an insight into the subject and learn practical assessment and control techniques.

 

Entitled ‘Condensation and Dampness In Buildings, The Facts and Practical Assessment’, the course outlines how modern environments  - including central heating, double glazing and sealed air gaps – can create problems with condensation in UK schools.

 

According to the PCA, condensation is a particular problem for schools built around the 1960s and 1970s. Steve Hodgson, technical director of the Property Care Association, said: “Some schools built around this time are poorly insulated and are of a relatively low build quality.

 

“These factors, coupled with the fact schools typically have lots of people in the daytime – all giving off heat and moisture– and are then left semi-warm but empty in the evening and night, can create problems with condensation.

 

“However, improvements can be made by using existing heating and ventilation in ways that will reduce the problem. Remedial solutions such as heat recovery ventilators, positive pressure systems, stack vents, dehumidifiers and innovative passive ventilators can also be installed.

 

“The key issue is to get the problem accurately assessed and members of the PCA can be contacted for an accurate diagnosis.”

 

Although condensation, if left untreated, can go on to present further problems including mould growth, water in buildings can present even more serious problems, which can potentially damage the entire structure of a building.

 

The PCA reports that, in Victorian schools particularly, hidden parapet walls and concealed valley gutters can cause water to run into the structure, and lead to dry rot breaking out.

 

If left untreated, dry rot destroys timbers – causing them to deteriorate and crumble – creating severe problems to a building’s structure. In extreme cases, the PCA has encountered collapsed floors, staircases and even internal walls.

 

Another common problem associated with water easier to diagnose – but effective maintenance can target the issue before it becomes a bigger problem.

 

Steve said: “Members of the PCA are often called out to schools where water has suddenly leaked into the building.

 

“Often this is due to fact that footballs have been kicked on to roofs, and ended up blocking the school’s gutters and fall pipes. This creates a build-up of water which, if left, can lead to substantial water leakage into a building.

 

“By dealing with problems at an early stage, school maintenance teams could ward off the need for more extensive repairs in the future.

 

“The key is to inspect regularly and prevent water entering a building in the first place. Drains, roofs, gutters and pointing are the main areas that need attention.”

 

 

The Property Care Association

 0870 1216737.

Find out more at http://www.property-care.org

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Written by Jane Shepherd, Shepherd PR Ltd, 01538 308685, 07985 129315