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RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) concerns for theatres

Emeralds
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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Along with the shock closures of many schools and some university and hospital buildings due to discovery of the loose concrete (RAAC) and the risks to occupants’ safety that we’ve been hearing about this week, it was only a matter of time before the concerns would spread to theatres.

 

Northampton’s Royal and Derngate Theatre, which has hosted many small and medium sized ballet and contemporary dance companies on tour, has just been closed as a result of RAAC being detected in its structure. For now, September performances will be postponed and the theatre will be contacting ticket holders.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-66713205

Brunton Theatre in East Lothian has also been closed due to RAAC being found in its roof. I don’t know if they had dance performances scheduled for this month.

 

Safety of audiences, artists, crew and employees is of course essential, but I can’t help thinking that what with rising inflation, transport strikes, pandemic financial losses, budget cuts, protestors, disruptive patrons, and now loose concrete, it’s getting harder and harder these days to be a performer, front of house staff or audience member! But we will be patient and persist. 😊

Edited by Emeralds
Apologies for extra parenthesis in title- I can’t edit it
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Emeralds

Emeralds

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I think the Royal & Derngate and the Brunton should be able to reopen in time in time for panto season in November/December, probably earlier if they can get the builders with the required expertise in to replace it- given that the builders are now in demand to fix schools and other public buildings as well. Hopefully the postponed performances can still take place this season, perhaps in as yet unbooked slots.

 

Of course, all students, families and individuals adversely affected, while accepting that caution is sensible, are lamenting that it wasn’t discovered at the start of the summer holidays when schools and theatres were mostly quiet or closed, which would at least have been a more convenient time to undertake repairs and wouldn’t require looking for alternative buildings, portaloos, tents etc for autumn 😮.....

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Dartford’s Orchard Theatre (another small theatre which has frequently hosted ballet) and the National Theatre have now also discovered RAAC in their buildings. Orchard Theatre is going to be closed to replace it, National Theatre will remain open. NT say theirs is only in small areas backstage which pose no risk and do not require remedy (source: The Stage) 

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  • alison changed the title to RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) concerns for theatres
alison

alison

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I must admit that I'm concerned about one of the major theatres near me: the Churchill Theatre (and library) in Bromley.  Mid-70s build, so right in the middle of the range in question, and there was already talk about it being in poor condition and concern that the council might not repair it.  It hosts some dance performances.  The Fairfield Halls and Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon have recently undergone an extensive refurbishment, so hopefully won't be affected.  I suspect Wycombe Swan, the Milton Keynes Theatre and the New Victoria Theatre in Woking - all of which host dance, incidentally - may well be of the sort of vintage which might be affected, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Then there are hospitals, shopping centres, ... :(

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Yes, I’m quite concerned about the theatres in Woking, Milton Keynes, Bromley etc that already have visits by dance companies planned. Thankfully, Sadler’s Wells and Fairfield Halls had recent refurbishments and hopefully are not at risk. What’s shocking is that problems were detected with collapsing roofs and falling beams in several hospitals and schools before 2020 and requests for funding to refurbish/rebuild affected buildings were refused by the government. Am wondering if we should get hard hats to use when visiting/using buildings built in 1960-1980....

 

PS thank you for fixing the “)” @alison!

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trog

trog

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The Core Theatre in Solihull is closing because of RAAC

 

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/solihull-core-theatre-closes-after-27657953?utm_source=mynewsassistant.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=embedded_search_item_desktop

 

Also of worry is Birmingham City Council issuing a Section 114 notice, being "in a negative General Fund position" according to Fiona Greenway, the council's interim finance director and S151 officer. What can't she just say they have no money? Only essential services such as rubbish collection will be provided. This probably means no more funding for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Museums, etc. The Birmingham Museum and art Gallery is closed until 2024 for maintenace work and I'm guessing this will stop with immediate affect.

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Now The Sands in Carlisle have also announced they’re affected and will be closing.  ☹️

 

On the plus side, the amount of RAAC found in each venue varies- some of the amounts are not a lot and won’t take much time to replace. The problem is whether there are enough construction teams around the country who can do it in time. I’ve just looked up our workplace which I initially thought would not be a risk as it seems to be full of new buildings.....but just found out that the main building dates back to 1976! Maybe I should get that hard hat and get ready for more Zoom meetings and working from home again....

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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I think they might be inspecting the buildings with cracks first but the list keeps expanding as the week progresses. Also, many theatres and organisations have been advised to get specialists in for an assessment if their building is old enough and not wait for a roof or some other section to collapse first, as there aren’t always warning cracks in advance. But I agree, fingers crossed that hopefully  not every builder/company used RAAC. The advice at the time was that they shouldn’t use it in buildings expected to last more than 30 years, but I don’t really know any building in the UK that’s expected to be rebuilt or demolished after just 30 years! 

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Peanut68

Peanut68

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On 05/09/2023 at 13:52, Emeralds said:

Of course, all students, families and individuals adversely affected, while accepting that caution is sensible, are lamenting that it wasn’t discovered at the start of the summer holidays when schools and theatres were mostly quiet or closed,

But of course Parliament was on Summer recess….MP’s couldn’t possibly have been expected to come into work to deal with these time critical issues!!! 
The mind boggles & the blood boils…
 

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Picture of what happened (link below from a building industry web journal)  when a roof collapsed in a primary school classroom in Gravesend, Kent, in 2018. It was just extraordinarily lucky that it was a Saturday night and nobody was in the room at the time. That collapse could have caused multiple deaths. Politicians and the Department of Education dismissed it as a one-off freak accident at the time, A bit harder to dismiss other incidents of beams and roofs falling now. 

https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/raac-crisis-escalates-as-more-than-100-schools-told-to-get-out-now

 

RAAC is made of quartz sand, calcined gypsum, lime, portland cement, water and aluminium powder. I’m not in construction so am no expert but technically it is a kind of concrete (there many types) but not what we usually think of when we say concrete, I suppose. The problem with RAAC is that it eventually falls apart after exposure to water and pollutants. (30 years or more has been quoted by construction experts as the timescale of  “eventually”). 

 

I wouldn’t have a problem with remote working/learning again since we did it during Covid lockdowns but obviously it’s impossible to do that for hospitals and some other institutions. Just daft that it’s been swept under the carpet since 2018 till now, when leaders had been made aware of it well before that. Oh well....

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Peanut68

Peanut68

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I recall hearing a very informative piece on radio 4 some months back whereby a building expert was highlighting this material & it’s deemed pros at times of use & it’s very obvious potential flaws. It highlighted the imperative for good building maintenance - in particular weather proofing. How many flat roofs do we see in public buildings with clearly shoddy in need of repair felt/asphalt top layers? If they have RAAC below then it’s basically a sponge to soak up moisture…add to that temperature changes causing expansion/contraction of this material (which to my untrained eye appears to resemble pumice/volcanic rock) then it is easy to see how it can suffer undue stresses & fail 

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  • 3 months later...
alison

alison

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On 06/09/2023 at 12:02, Lynette H said:

Also  The Orchard Theatre in Dartford

 

https://orchardtheatre.co.uk/Online/default.asp

 

In some more positive news, The Orchard has set up a temporary theatre in a tent next to the proper theatre, and it seems to have been received very positively by theatregoers - I've seen all sort of very "pleasantly surprised" reactions:

 

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/23985360.orchard-west-dartford-theatre-stunning-lovely/

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Harlequin Theatre and Cinema in Redhill, Surrey also had to close due to confirmed RAAC in the building. Their yearly panto was relocated to a purpose built marquee in the town park, and their ROH cinema relays were taken over by another local cinema nearby (The Light). Have not yet heard from anyone who bought tickets to the panto (apparently it still sold well though not as full as previous years) what it's like in freezing or very wet weather! 

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