Estudio Patológico para Intervención de las Losas de Entrepiso de las Terrazas del Edificio Parque Real

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the pathologies resulting from the deterioration of the slab floors on the terraces of the first level of the Parque Real building, caused by differential settlement between the two towers. These settlements led to movement of the slabs, facilitating the ingress of moisture through the expansion joints, which in turn promotes the development of secondary damage. This building was constructed in 1993 in the city of Bogotá and consists of two towers, each with seven stories and a basement level used for parking. The inspection focused on the basement areas, as they present visible damage that will be studied element by element in order to identify those requiring immediate intervention due to their potential risk to structural stability. The inspections were carried out visually and with non-destructive testing methods, allowing for the determination—based on diagnosis and the progression of the pathological process—of the most suitable and appropriate intervention strategies. The methodology is divided into three phases: the first involves the collection of relevant historical project information, technical documents, and construction drawings. The second phase includes site visits, the execution of non-destructive tests such as rebound hammer and ultrasonic testing (NTC 3692 and NTC 4325), the creation of inspection records, damage mapping, and data processing. Lastly, the hypothesis is validated, followed by a detailed explanation of the diagnosis, analysis of the damage, and the pathological process, which serve as input for proposing rehabilitation alternatives and issuing recommendations. The resulting diagnosis reveals advanced deterioration due to mechanical causes (settlements and deflections caused by an inadequate foundation design, such as the use of timber piles) and, primarily, chemical causes (efflorescence, oxidation-induced corrosion, carbonation, and biological organisms). These factors have severely degraded the lower slabs of the lightweight floor systems, and—combined with inadequate design conditions (such as cover thicknesses below those required in section C.7.7.1 of NSR-10)—have allowed for the progression of the pathological process under study.