Typical brick built apartment block in Sydney's south, constructed in the early 1960s. After fifty odd years the balconies started to show signs of ageing with vertical and horizontal cracks appearing over the past decade causing the balconies to become unstable. Cause With more than one of type of cracking present, multiple causes were likely. Firstly, the horizontal or zig zag cracks in the brickwork were caused be deflection of the concrete slab over time. As one side of the balcony slab moved differently to the other side the tensile strength of the brickwork weakened causing the cracking. The second problem was a little less obvious to the untrained eye. Almost random vertical cracks we

Constructed in the 1970s, the Civic Centre in Ashfield had slowly been deteriorating over the past decade. The first signs of deterioration noticed by the buildings owners (Ashfield Council) was small bulges in the over hanging slab. Not long after peaces of masonry start to fall on to the pathway below . The speed at which the concrete spalling ( cancer ) had spread took many by surprise and a decision was made to remove loose masonry and repair as soon as possible. Cause As with many cases in concrete cancer the cause can be laid with the original contractor. #1 In the first picture below you will notice the long piece of steel reinforcing running parallel with the slab on the second floor