Deploying advanced NDT to secure neighbouring infrastructure and assess the viability of Glasgow’s historic architectural shell.
Following the catastrophic fire at Glasgow’s Union Street, our expert teams were urgently mobilised to the site. In the wake of such extreme thermal destruction, the immediate priority shifts from firefighting to forensic structural engineering. Our mandate for this major urban deployment was twofold: to definitively rule out the threat of collapse onto neighbouring properties and transport hubs, and to explore every engineered avenue to preserve the remaining historic facade.
Securing the Environs & Adjacent Assets
Sub-Aquatic ROV Inspections (Zero-Intervention)
When a blaze of this magnitude consumes a multi-storey urban structure, the danger does not end when the flames are extinguished. The building was located on one of Glasgow’s busiest thoroughfares, sharing critical boundaries with neighbouring businesses and standing in close proximity to Glasgow Central Station.
Extreme heat fundamentally alters the chemical and structural properties of building materials. Mortar joints degrade, steel reinforcement expands and structural concrete loses its compressive strength – a process known as calcination. Furthermore, the sudden introduction of cold water from high-pressure fire hoses causes rapid thermal shock. Our immediate challenge was to map structural deflections, outward bowing and load-bearing failures that posed a direct, catastrophic threat to the adjacent properties and pedestrian infrastructure.
Defining Viability & Heritage Retention
The data harvested from our scanning will form the backbone of the city’s structural recovery report. We successfully delineated the site into zones of viability, pinpointing exactly which floor slabs and retaining walls required immediate controlled demolition to protect neighbouring assets.
Crucially, our diagnostics identified the structural elements that had survived the thermal load. By mapping the exact depth of the fire damage, we provided the engineered methodologies required to retain the world-renowned historic frontage. This paved the way for advanced preservation works – including heavy-duty emergency propping, deep-penetrating structural resins and stainless steel helical crack stitching – to safely isolate the facade while the
Uncompromising Standards in Crisis Environments
Deploying to a major crisis site requires uncompromising operational discipline. Backed by RISQS accreditation, Achilles UVDB auditing and rigorous ISO-certified safety management systems, Structural Repairs brings engineering certainty to the most chaotic site conditions.