Concrete crisis: How will I know if my child’s school is shutting?

What other buildings are affected?

So far, one courtroom and at least five hospitals are closed, partially closed, or under reconstruction due to the use of RAAC in their construction.

Harrow Crown Court closed last week for security reasons, the BBC reported.

The seven hospitals affected by RAAC, according to the gov.uk website, are:

• Northern Center for Cancer Care – North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Liverpool Hospital – Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

It is now understood that both hospitals are open.

• Midland Metropolitan Hospital – Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
• Northgate Hospital – Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
• Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital – Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
• 3Ts Hospital – University Hospitals of Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust
• Bath Cancer Hospital – Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust

These five hospitals are currently under construction, the website states.

How can I know if my building is affected by RAAC?

There is no simple or direct way to tell if a given building was built using RAAC.

Experts say that any flat-roofed building built between the 1960s and 1980s probably used RAAC panels.

“Much of the public sector, but also some of the private sector, which is more difficult to reach from a government perspective, should think about this,” Professor Chris Goodier, professor of engineering and building materials at the University of California, told The Telegraph. Loughborough University.

Any surviving documents from when the building was built will be helpful in knowing if RAAC was on the plans. However, many of these documents will have been lost to time or never existed.

“One of the problems is that in many old buildings, certainly from 50, 60 or 70 years ago, people may not know precisely the details of what was used for the ceiling panels,” said Professor Leon Black. , professor of infrastructure materials at the University of Leeds, told The Telegraph.

“It’s not just that all RAAC panels are potentially failing. They don’t even know if the panels are there or not. Not all buildings had fully detailed records like they do today.”

RAAC testing and verification is also fraught with difficulties, as the panels often look like normal concrete in situ.

Key cues are the 2-foot width and beveled edge between the panels, as well as the airy interior structure that has been likened to an Aero candy bar.