Utrecht University Library
When small cracks were discovered in the façade of the University Library in the centre of Utrecht, swift action was taken. Thanks to URETEK DeepInjection®, the foundations have been stabilised and further damage prevented.
Jos de Vries is project manager for ‘Management & Campus’ at Utrecht University. He explains: “Our University Library in the city centre is a magnificent 16th-century listed building of which we are particularly proud. In 1808, it served as the palace of our first king, Louis Napoleon, so it is truly a historic building.”
Challenge
“When we discovered cracks in the façade, we immediately sought advice from a structural engineer,” continues Jos de Vries. “Although safety wasn’t immediately at risk, he recommended URETEK to stabilise the foundations and prevent further damage. As the library is open seven days a week for almost the whole year, it was a challenge to choose a day on which URETEK could carry out the work. Fortunately, URETEK was very flexible and we were able to arrange a Saturday in the summer when the building was closed.”
Left spotlessly clean
The second challenge was manoeuvring the URETEK lorry into the courtyard. “Fortunately, that went very well too. We were worried that the hoses that had to be routed through the building would cause a mess. But that turned out to be no problem at all. What’s more, URETEK left the site spotlessly clean. They even removed the excess expansion resin that had seeped up between the patio tiles. Within half a day, the work was finished and the foundations had been raised by one and two millimetres respectively in the corners. It went very smoothly and we’re very pleased with the result. It’s reassuring to know that this centuries-old building will be good for a few more years!”
