UK-based structural resilience specialist, C-Probe, has secured its largest impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) contract to date with the award of the sub-contract to design, supply, support, test, commission and operate the system to restore and protect the podium structures at Concourse Village Plaza in The Bronx, New York City.
This multi-million dollar deal will see C-Probe provide its low-carbon corrosion protection anode, monitoring and management system products to protect the reinforced concrete decks, beams, walls, and columns of the structure from corrosion, as well as remotely control and monitor the system for years to come.
The Concourse Village Plaza houses apartment blocks, retail shops, a multiplex cinema, and underground parking. Environmental impact of chloride ingress and weathering has taken its toll on the structure with cracking and spalling of the concrete cover from reinforcement corrosion necessitating significant concrete repair in conjunction with futureproofing with ICCP. An effective corrosion protection and repair strategy is designed to protect the structure for decades to come and preserve its embodied carbon as an extension to its service life without needing repetitive repairs over time.
C-Probe will be working with specialty restoration contractors Infrastructure Repair Services, Inc (IRS) who will repair and upgrade the structure as well as install the ICCP system. The owner's structural engineering firm, Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger (SGH) will oversee the project. Mott MacDonald – Materials and Corrosion Technology Division – will join C-Probe for the design of the protection system.
C-Probe's low carbon alkali-activated cementitious material (AACM geopolymer) innovation, LoCem®, will be a key aspect of this restoration project. LoCem® is specifically formulated to act as an ICCP anode cement which, when activated forms a bonded hardened mortar, allowing a small dc electrical current to pass through the concrete cover to the steel reinforcement, providing whole life control of corrosion.
LoCem® binders as repair, protection, and build materials are a sustainable alternative to traditional cements, as it is manufactured from industrial waste by-products with no heat blending production offering over 90% CO2e saving compared to CEM I. LoCem® will be used at Concourse in the form of +chase®, specifically used for reinforced concrete structures, where the ICCP anode mortar operates within slots cut and holes drilled strategically into the reinforced concrete structural elements.
Embeddable corrosion rate probes will also be installed for ongoing monitoring and data provision to make control decisions remotely (AchillesICP), meaning the client will receive transparent data of corrosion activity, proof of performance of the installed system and service life tracking of the structure. C-Probe has also committed to monitoring the structure through their online management and reporting facility, AiMS, for at least the next 10 years, which will be invaluable for retaining asset value and making proactive maintenance decisions when needed.
With the design of the Central podium completed, construction will begin in 2023 before moving to the West and East podiums. The project is expected to go on for the next 2.5 years. The result of the project will be an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) compliant strategy that will create a more resilient structure, utilizing low carbon build materials that can control the impact of corrosion.
C-Probe's LoCem® is an award-winning product has been used previously in restoration projects such as 230 Park Avenue (The Helmsley Building) in NYC (Lucy G Moses Preservation award with Thornton Tomasetti), Terry's Chocolate Factory in York, UK (Research, Innovation, Sustainability and Engineering – RISE award), The Commerce Bank in Kansas City (ICRI Sustainability Award and Fiatech CETI with Mott MacDonald) and many other projects. These projects has proven the LoCem® ability to provide a long-lasting, low-carbon solution to corrosion protection while also reducing costs over time.
By providing a whole-life control of corrosion, LoCem® not only protects the structure from the damage caused by corrosion but also extends its service life, reducing the need for frequent repairs. The LoCem® anode system also does not require any electricity to be supplied to the structure, making it an energy-efficient solution. Additionally, LoCem® is a sustainable alternative to traditional cements, which is manufactured from industrial waste by-products with no heat blending production, offering significant CO2e savings.
The embeddable corrosion rate probes will also play an important role in this project, by providing ongoing monitoring and data provision that will allow the client to make control decisions remotely. C-Probe's online management and reporting facility, AiMS, will also be used to monitor the structure for at least the next 10 years, providing valuable data that can be used to retain asset value and make proactive maintenance decisions. This will be valuable for the owner of the building as well as the contractor, as it provides transparent data of the corrosion activity, and proof of performance of the installed system, as well as service life tracking of the structure.
In conclusion, the partnership between C-Probe and the other contractors on this project will result in an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) compliant strategy that will create a more resilient structure using low-carbon building materials that can control the impact of corrosion. This will help extend the service life of the structure and preserve its embodied carbon, while also reducing costs over time. The project is expected to begin in 2023 and will last 2.5 years, and the outcome will be a valuable addition to the Concourse Village Plaza, providing safety and durability for many years to come.
Image by: Jim.henderson., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
