Contractors in Anguilla have been advised to build with integrity in order to stave off the effects of devastating hurricanes and earthquakes as well as quick corrosive penetration from the salt marine environment through the poured concrete down to the steel bars.

Contractors and other persons attentive at Construction Seminar sponsored by Anguilla Masonry Products and Trinidad Cement Ltd.

The timely advice was given by Dr. Myron W. S. Chin, a Structural Engineer, and Harriram Jairam, a Concrete Technologist. The occasion was a one- evening seminar jointly sponsored by Anguilla Masonry Products (AMP), whose Principal and Managing Director is Rayme Lake and Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL), manufacturers of the high grade Premium Portland-Pozzolan Cement.

The seminar was held on Thursday, August 21, at the Campus B Auditorium and was attended by a large number of building contractors, engineers and other technical persons. Among them were Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming, who delivered the opening prayer; Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Victor Banks, who gave the welcome remarks; and Minister of Infrastructure, Kenneth Harrigan.

“I think it is a good gesture by both companies to educate and inform their customers,” Mr. Banks stated. “It shows that these companies are interested in their customers and by extension in the overall quality of construction in Anguilla.” He welcomed the two presenters and the principals and technicians of TCL as well as those of AMP.

Following introductory remarks by Albert S. Lake, Plant Manager at AMP, Dr. Chin commenced his presentation. He noted that during his tour of Anguilla he had observed that, unlike some of the other Caribbean islands, most of the buildings had concrete roofs instead of galvanize and wood and other materials. He thought that while this provided a safety measure against hurricanes, it was far less durable in the event of an earthquake because of its heavy weight unless there were strong and reinforced foundations, columns and beams. He was aware that there had been no major earthquakes in the Caribbean region over the years but nevertheless stressed the importance of guarding against them.

During his presentation Dr. Chin showed video footage of structural failures in a

Chief Minister Fleming (2nd from left), Minister of Finance Victor Banks (2nd from right) and AMP and TCL personnel

number of buildings in the Caribbean region due to poor construction and the impact of hurricanes.

Mr. Jairam joined Dr. Chin in speaking about structural failures of buildings and showed videos to illustrate his presentation with respect to damage done by hurricanes and earthquakes. “There is another threat that we in the Caribbean are exposed to,” he pointed out. “While we may get earthquakes and hurricanes, but with a couple years passing without getting one of them, this threat I am referring to is on us every day. We may see structures showing signs of failure with cracks but no earthquake or hurricane caused that.”

The threat he referred to is the action of the marine environment whereby salt air and moisture penetrate weak areas of a concrete structure and cause corrosion along the steel bars resulting in cracks which worsen as time progresses. He observed that this failure is almost certain in every concrete structure but that with careful building it would take a long time to occur not just a few years as some cases showed.

“This threat is coming from the marine environment to which the Caribbean is exposed,” Mr. Jairam went on. “The failures, all over the place, are not from hurricanes and earthquakes but from the environment. Day in, day out, as the wind blows, our structures are exposed to salt…Concrete always acts as a wick and this moisture in the wind finds its way into our reinforcement.” He said that the internal force exerted by the steel on the concrete while it is expanding was the cause of some of the structural failures…“We need to protect the structure for as long as possible before this expansion starts for lo and behold it will happen. We are just trying to let it happen way further down the road,” he told the contractors. He

Section of contractors and others at Seminar

emphasised the need for a certain thickness of the poured concrete to avoid weaknesses and the use of proper spacers to keep the steel well above the roof surface to avoid cracking during expansion.

Referring to various flaws in construction work, he urged contractors to ensure that the buildings they construct are done right in the first instance noting that it was always cheaper to prevent a problem in concrete than to repair it. “A simple error will cost you a whole lot of money to repair, when you could have paid a little more attention or if you had done it a little bit differently, you could have prevented that problem,” he advised. “We want to build with integrity. We want to build structures that last with or without building codes.”

Mr. Jairam advised contractors to avoid mixing concrete with sea sand, muddy or brackish water and other inferior materials with oversize particles which would result in sub-standard buildings. On another matter, he said that concrete made with Portland cement had a working life of approximately one hour in the region’s tropical climate. He warned concrete companies that if no chemicals were used to extend that period to two or three hours or more during the transportation to the building site, the quality of the concrete would begin to deteriorate. “The gel is what holds on to the neighouring particles not the cement particle itself,” he stated and while that gel is growing and the concrete is in motion, you are damaging that concrete so it must be in your form-work within one hour of adding water, not one hour from the truck coming on site because the cement is going to react…and the hotter the sun, the faster [the cement is going to deteriorate].

He also cautioned against using too much water to reduce the stiffness of the concrete when applying it to a building and stated that the appropriate chemicals should be used instead to avoid structural problems.

The seminar was well received by the contractors and engineers who obtained additional useful information during the question and answer periods.

Rayme Lake, commenting on the reason for the seminar, had this to say: “For too long people have been blaming the concrete companies for all the errors and bad practices that the contractors and the construction workers are making. I am trying to see if we can prove them wrong.”

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