ABSTRACT
In 1997 a condominium building was constructed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Some two years later, one of the tenants, a retired engineer, noticed some small concrete fragments on the floor of the underground parkade and, looking up, saw some cracked reinforced concrete beams. This was promptly reported to the building manager, who in turn commissioned an engineering evaluation of the situation. A structural investigation disclosed that some of the main transfer beams supporting load-bearing walls had only about 20% of the required reinforcement. The investigation identified an exceptionally serious problem. In fact, there was some difficulty in determining why the building was still standing! Immediate attention was required to prevent collapse and to restore the required strength and, in the process, to find out why collapse had not already taken place. This paper explains why the building did not collapse and the remedial steps taken to ensure safety.
Key words: Masonry, Under-Reinforced, Cracking, Repair, Grouting, Prestressing
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