Structures located in the Gulf pose special durability concerns compared to typical marine exposure conditions. High salinity of the local seawater, in combination with the extreme temperatures, leads to rapid increases in chloride concentrations at the concrete surface and potentially early onset and rapid propagation of reinforcement corrosion. The environmental conditions at the Gulf fall outside the scope of traditional structural design codes and standards.
With COWI’s local experience and our expertise in deterioration of reinforced concrete, we were able to provide a wide range of durability design services, specific to the Gulf, for this project, including:
- Risk assessment of reinforced concrete deterioration associated with high average temperatures and chloride exposure
- Assistance in defining owner’s service life performance requirements, including maintenance planning
- Service life modeling and design using the DuraCrete approach
- Development of appropriate materials specifications through service life modeling
- Conversion of specifications to concrete mixture designs and compliance testing
- Back analysis of service life of as-built concrete
- Quality assurance and construction supervision
The involvement of COWI’s service life design specialists was paramount from day one to completion of the Villamar at the Harbour project. Due to the severity of the local environmental conditions, the service life requirement of 50 years affected aspects of the structural design, material selection, construction planning and procedures and compliance testing.
