BASF restore the Victorian State Library
Constructed in 1911, the Dome on top of the Victorian State Library's historic reading room was, at the time of
its construction, the largest reinforced concrete dome in the world. Unfortunately by the 1990s the Dome was leaking and degraded
with much of it succumbing to the ravages of concrete corrosion.
Now, in a recently completed restoration and repair project, the Dome has once again been returned to its former glory. The work
was carried out by Baulderstone Hornibrook's specialist contractors Structural Systems using a range of specialist repair mortars
and surface coatings from MBT Australia.
"The Dome was suffering from a range of major problems - much of the concrete was badly deteriorated and it was quite literally
'leaking like a sieve'," says Andrew Bray, project engineer with Structural Systems. "As one might expect with an important
heritage structure such as this, one of the major challenges was selecting the most appropriate repair methods for the variety
of problems that the building was suffering from while, at the same time, maintaining the original character and appearance of
the Dome and its surrounding structure."
Cracks in the external surfaces of the dome were repaired using products from MBT's Concresive range of resinous concrete repair
systems, including Concresive 1380, an injection resin specifically developed for use with the structural concrete bonding
process. Craks and spalling around the external window openings were repaired using MBT's Emaco S88C shrinkage compensated
repair mortar in conjunction with the Concresive epoxy resins. The existing render on the dome's central 'lantern' was removed
and replaced with Barra Mortar HL high-build lightweight repair mortar which was then topped with a coat of Barra 80 polymer
modified fairing mortar. The Dome's glass reinforced concrete ribs and panels were rendered with Barra mortar HL and coating
with Barracryl D acrylic-based waterproof protective coating.
For further information contact:
BASF
phone: (02) 8811 4200
fax: (02) 8811 3299
web: www.mbtaus.com.au
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