Overview

Mainmark UK was appointed for the repair of a commercial warehouse which showed extensive signs of ground movement. The unit was vacant for several months, during which time cracks in the walls worsened due to underlying poor Made Ground. Keen for a fast, effective, and non-disruptive repair, Mainmark were tasked with using Teretek® Resin Injection to repair the walls and concrete slab, to bring the site into use.

The problem

The industrial site, located by a nearby river, had sat vacant for several months. Underlying poor Made Ground conditions caused the underlying issues. As a result, it had begun to fall into a state of disrepair. In preparation for a new lease, the building owners contracted a series of repairs.

However, upon further inspection they found significant signs of ground movement, or subsidence. Stepped cracks on the rear wall brickwork as well as large, deep cracks on the inside- and party-walls. Additionally, uneven concrete slabs meant that extensive repairs would be needed on the whole site.

Ground support repairs were needed to not only stabilise the cracking walls, but to re-level the concrete slabs, so that the warehouse could restart operations and begin earning its keep.

The solution

Following an on-site assessment, all options were considered and eliminated until the final choice was proposed. Traditional concrete underpinning would’ve been far too disruptive and time consuming, especially with other trades on site.

Mainmark’s Teretek® Resin Injection would be the chosen system as it would allow the timeline to be kept short and wouldn’t interfere with other repairs happening at the same time. Sustainability also had a factor in why the system was chosen. Resin eliminated the need for the heavy plant machinery and the high volume of waste that would come from traditional underpinning methods.

The solution would be deployed to the exterior walls and party wall to achieve lift and stabilisation. Following this, ground relevelling and slab reinforcement was completed to ensure future movement was limited.

Challenges

The biggest challenge was a logistical one, dictated to the team by the nearby river. There was a surface water pipe beneath the treatment area with the outlet of the pipe running into the river. During high tide, the pipe would be flooded with water which meant that the pipe couldn’t be monitored during the repair process. As a result, repairs could only take place when the tide was low, whereby the team would have free access to the pipe for monitoring.

This is where the rapid nature of the Teretek® system really gave the Mainmark team the edge on site. Quick curing and fast to set up, the team would be able to maximise the low-tide periods to repair large portions of the site and reduce potential delays.

The result

Mainmark achieved ground improvement to 48 linear metres of foundation and ground stabilisation of 800 square metres of floor slab in just under three weeks. This included the time added on by the delays due to restricted working hours from the nearby river. With the slab and walls secure, remediation works to the rest of the facility can continue, ready for the new tenant.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated the non-disruptive, effective, and rapid nature of Mainmark’s solution. With a combination of technical expertise and rapid-curing Teretek® Resin Injection, Mainmark delivered a reliable solution that overcame both environmental and logistical challenges.

Working around tidal windows and existing on-site contractors, the team stabilised the foundations and re-levelled the warehouse floor quickly and efficiently. The completed works restored the warehouse to a high standard, which ensured future operational safety.