A Methodology for the Inspection and Monitoring of the Roof Tiles and Concrete Components of the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a world-class performing arts center and is recognized internationally as a modern architectural masterpiece. This paper describes recent work focused at the development of an inspection and monitoring methodology for the roof tiles of the Sydney Opera House that aligns with the current tile tap testing regime. The particularity of the proposed approach relies on its ability to uniquely identify the location of the tile being tap tested within the building geometry and to associate it to the corresponding measurements and condition assessment evaluation. The outcome of this process is presented in a graphical form based on a simple three color ranking scheme that rates the tiles’ conditions from good to acceptable and poor. It is expected that such output could be presented in various forms, such as in a BIM model. Within this procedure, the measurements can be stored for future reference and for the evaluation of historical trends. The broader use of this approach is then briefly highlighted by considering other non-destructive testing techniques and an example is presented in the final part of the paper in relation to concrete components.