Industry: Commercial
Type of work: Balcony Repair, Concrete Repair, Planter Box, Repairs and Upgrades, Structural Repair, Waterproofing,
Mooloolaba Underwater World is located in the middle of the Sunshine Coast, making it a popular international and local tourist destination.
In 2012, the aquarium’s manager, the Merlin Entertainments Group, approached a number of the world’s leading specialist aquarium designers to redesign the pools in the facility which were suffering from a number of structural issues. After a tendering process, a company from the United Kingdom was selected.
With a scope of works tendered by the UK company, management then needed to find a high-quality contractor who would be able to successfully complete the challenging project. After a competitive tender, Remedial was selected to implement the proposed designs and address the underlying structural issues.
The remediation works undertaken included:
- Removal of all existing underwater environments (not including marine life)
- Identification of all areas affected by concrete cancer
- Hydro-blasting of existing walls to remove concrete and expose steel reinforcement
- Removal of rusted steel reinforcement
- Construction of new internal walls as per the design brief
- Re-rendering of all areas requiring concrete repair
- Ensuring the waterproofing integrity of all surfaces
- Reinstatement of marine environments in accordance with the provided plans and schematics
- Plumbing works
The Remediation Process
As soon as the pools had been drained, Remedial staff began the process of removing the existing marine environment. However, upon commencement, we discovered that the surface designs had been created using very dense gunite which had been further compounded by the pressure of the water.
This densely compacted gunite seemed impervious to jackhammering, meaning that Remedial needed to devise an alternative method of removal. Our staff drilled several holes into the structures requiring removal, then inserted a specialised chemical agent. Overnight, the agent expanded rapidly, causing large fissures in the structure which allowed our team to more easily remove the broken segments the next day. Having overcome this unforeseen challenge quickly and efficiently, the process of rebuilding the underwater environments according to the supplied specifications began.
In a period of just eight months, Remedial completed the required works, much to the delight of the client, the community and the tourists who flocked back to the new and improved aquarium.