Koopmans Building Tilburg University

The Koopmans Building is the main entrance to Tilburg University. However, pieces of concrete had been falling off, crumbling off the front and rear of the building. Investigation revealed that the damage was caused by reinforcement corrosion initiated by carbonation. Penetration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air lowers the pH value of the concrete. If this process reaches the reinforcement, and if there is enough moisture and oxygen, it can cause the reinforcement to rust. Because rusting steel takes up a larger volume, the concrete will be put under stress, leading to cracking and ultimately spalling

The damage could have occurred because the concrete cover on the reinforcement turned out to be very low in many places. The area was immediately secured by Solid Services and any pieces of concrete that were loose and/or at risk of falling were removed.
Solid Services recommended repairing the concrete damage and applying a waterproof and carbonation-inhibiting coating to the concrete structure.

In addition, we saved Tilburg University a considerable amount of work by supervising the entire renovation project. In addition to the inspection and analyses, Solid Services drew up the specifications and took care of the tendering process. We also oversaw the project, which allowed us to keep the quality of the renovation high.