Update on RAAC building assessments on campus

In common with thousands of public organisations across the UK, we have been carefully assessing whether reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is present within any building materials on our campus.

Following a detailed survey of more than 500 buildings involving expert external consultants, we are pleased to confirm that very little RAAC has been found in any of our buildings.

However, RAAC has been identified in our single storey humanities building and as a precaution we have taken the decision to close it from Monday, while further tests are carried out.

The building is home to two lecture halls, and any activity that was due to take place there will now be reallocated to other buildings to minimise any disruption. Access to the nearby Psychology department will continue as normal.

RAAC has also been identified in two other buildings which have wider student / public access – Butterworth Hall and part of the Science Block D Engineering Hall. Both will remain open.

Neither are considered to pose any immediate risk and their roofs have been assessed to be in good condition. They will be subject to regular reviews and inspections.

Mitigation measures will also be put in place over the coming weeks.

We will keep our community informed and we’re sorry that there will be some disruption to a small number of people.
We thank them for their understanding in keeping our community safe.

FAQs

1) What is RAAC?

RAAC, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is a form of concrete used from the 1960s until the 1990s. It was mainly used in roofs and public buildings across this period.

2) How many buildings on campus contain RAAC?

Following a detailed survey of more than 500 buildings involving expert external consultants, we are pleased to confirm that very little RAAC has been found in any of our buildings. RAAC has however been found in three public-facing buildings with staff or student access.

RAAC has also been identified in a very small number of restricted access areas.

3) Are our buildings with RAAC safe?

RAAC has been identified in our single-storey Humanities building and as a precaution, we have taken the decision to close it from Monday 18 September 2023, while further tests are carried out.

RAAC has also been identified in two other buildings which have wider student / public access – Butterworth Hall and the Engineering Hall. Both will remain open. Neither are considered to pose any immediate risk and their roofs have been assessed to be in good condition.

RAAC has now been identified in the single lecture room (L3) of the Chemistry building, this will remain open as it is not considered to pose any immediate risk, we will continue to monitor the conditions.

All buildings with RAAC will be subject to regular reviews and inspections and mitigation measures will also be put in place over the coming weeks.

4) Who is affected by the closure of these buildings?

Only the single-storey section of the Humanities building is closed and this affects events such as Welcome Week, Open Days and teaching in Term 1, which are being relocated. Some other support teams, project teams and course teams based there are also being relocated.

5) How long do we expect the buildings to be out of use?

We will continue to use Butterworth Hall and Science Block D Engineering Hall. We expect the single-storey part of the Humanities building to be closed for all of Term 1 while we determine possible solutions.

6) How is the University dealing with this issue?

A management incident team led by the Group Finance Director has been formed to coordinate our response and ensure disruption is minimised. They are meeting on a daily basis and are made up a range of technical experts and operational staff, who are working hard to respond to concerns and ensure the process is managed safely and effectively.

7) How are we responding to any to any concerns from students?

We are working closely with the Students’ Union to address any concerns from our students.

8) Who can I contact if I have any concerns or questions about RAAC on campus?

We have set up a dedicated email address (BuildingStructureEnq@warwick.ac.uk) for people to get in touch with any additional questions that are not covered in our update message and FAQs.

This account will be regularly monitored by members of our Estates team. They will respond as quickly as they can.

Our specialist teams are working closely with all departments that have been impacted.