Muğla Göcek Rossmarin Residences — Carbon Fibre Strengthening

In buildings on the coast, reinforced concrete follows a different ageing curve from those inland. Salt-laden damp passes through the cover and reaches the reinforcement; the steel corrodes and expands, pushing the concrete away — the cover cracks, then spalls.

At Rossmarin Residences in Göcek the work therefore came in two stages: first the concrete sections degraded by corrosion were repaired, then carbon fibre reinforcement was applied. The order matters; reinforcement applied over a degraded surface will not hold, however well it is calculated.

The order of work on a coastal building

In a structure with corrosion damage the correct sequence is this:

• Damaged concrete is broken out back to sound section — leaving unsound material means the problem continues inside.
• Exposed reinforcement is cleaned of rust and coated with a corrosion inhibitor.
• The section is reinstated with a high-bond repair mortar.
• The surface is prepared and the carbon fibre reinforcement applied.
• The system is finished with a protective coating against UV and mechanical damage.

Working with residents’ management

In residential developments the work bears directly on people’s daily lives. It is staged block by block, parking and access roads are kept usable throughout, and noisy operations are tied to set hours. The stage programme is issued to the management in writing, so residents know in advance what happens when.