Foundations to be tested under revised defective concrete standard

Description

A leading campaigner on defective concrete says the revised IS 465 testing standard should significantly speed up the assessment process for affected homeowners.

Professor Paul Dunlop, who has long argued that the science underpinning the previous standard was flawed, has welcomed the changes.

Under the revised standard, mica will no longer be used as the primary indicator of block deterioration. Instead, the focus will be on pyrite and pyrrhotite, which are considered the main deleterious materials responsible for damage.

Housing foundations will now also be included in the test, meaning it is likely the government remediation scheme will have to be amended.

It’s also now understood that partial works will no longer be an option.

Professor Dunlop says the changes should make testing quicker and more straightforward for homeowners seeking to access the scheme