Prolonging the Life of your Below-Grade Parking Structure
Canadian Property Management | September 2024
Nigel Parker, B.Sc, M.Eng, P.Eng., LEED® AP BD+C, MCSCE | Principal
When cracks appear in the concrete foundation walls of your below-grade parking structure, the sight can be disconcerting. But the reality is, it happens in every facility at some point in its lifecycle and there are trusted methods to prevent them from worsening.
According to Nigel Parker, Principal, Building Science and Restoration at RJC Engineers, the first step is to assess the cracks for severity and take prompt action to ensure the structural integrity of the parking garage isn’t compromised.
“Cracks in concrete foundation walls can result from various factors such as settlement, flexural movement, temperature changes, and water infiltration,” he says. “Regardless of the immediate threat, timely intervention is critical to preventing further deterioration.”
Area vs. traditional crack injection
Currently there are two principal methods to address cracking in concrete foundation walls, and each has its own advantages. Traditional crack injection is a tried and true, short- to medium-term repair solution to address localized leaking, while area injection addresses a much larger swath of the wall. Given water often migrates to the next crack, creating a new leak location in the same vicinity, the area injection method prevents potential leaks and eliminates the need for adjacent repairs. Area injection is recommended over traditional crack injection when the localized repairs are longer effective or when there is extensive water infiltration.
“We also recommend it when the foundation wall is adjacent to critical infrastructure such as electrical equipment, or when excavation and replacement of exterior foundation wall waterproofing system is not practical or cost effective,” Parker adds.
Unlike traditional crack injection that fills the length of a leaking crack, area injection is performed in a grid pattern both horizontally and vertically around a much larger wall area, which may include the entire wall.