Presentations and Project Showcase Submissions
Use the drop down below to switch meetings
2023 Fall Presentations
Rachel Will, Wiss, Janney & Elstner
This presentation will compare the early detailing for architectural terra cotta including the 1914 edition of the NTCSCS publication with 1927 revisions, along with other relevant industry standards and provide an assessment of the lessons learned and how that has translated into revised detailing, material production, and installation. Additionally, we will introduce new developments related to restoration of architectural terra cotta elements that have been developed in a collaborative effort between design professionals, terra cotta manufacturers, and the International Masonry Institute (IMI). Specifically, revised details based on those shown in the NTCS documents but incorporating aspects of cavity and rainscreen wall assemblies. Finally, a new prototype terra cotta assembly that has been developed by design professionals at the Architectural Ceramics Assembly Workshop will be presented. These prototypes begin the process of evaluating alternative fabrication and support methods of architectural terra cotta.
2023 Fall Presentations
Charles Hammond, PE, SE, CWI, LEED AP, RRO
Anirudh Goel, PE, Walker Consultants
Buildings can lose their structural integrity due to fires, vehicular impacts, deterioration, and construction/design defects among other items. Responding to these types of situations requires knowledge and expertise beyond those taught in a classroom environment during formal engineering education. They demand timely coordination between Contractors and Engineers to stabilize and repair such buildings. This presentation will discuss approaches to providing emergency response services through a variety of case studies.
2023 Fall Presentations
David Sorrells, EMSEAL Joint Systems, Ltd
Expansion joints are literally a hole through the entire structure. They must accommodate a multitude of expected movement requirements while restoring the function of the building envelop including watertightness, insulation, life safety, sound attenuation and others. It is critical to properly think, design, bid, manufacturer and install expansion joints isometrically in 3D to maintain continuity of seal throughout all changes of plane, direction and transitions of dissimilar materials.
2023 Fall Presentations
Frank Halsey and Jon Carrier, Mid-Continental Restoration Company, Inc.
Built in 1936, the 120-acre Will Roger’s Memorial Center attracts over 2 million visitors annually to Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Ongoing maintenance and repair to the art-deco envelope started in 2019 with exterior repairs and structural reinforcing on the Pioneer Tower and continues annually with other portions of this enormous complex.
2023 Fall Presentations
Christopher Kottra, Building Technology Consultants
The subject building is a 19-story, 52-unit residential building originally constructed in Chicago in 1927. The building structure consists of steel framing encased in concrete for fire protection. The facade consists of a combination of brick and limestone. Significant deterioration had been identified not only in original components, but in recently repaired areas also. As such, a more comprehensive approach to repairing the facade became necessary. Details were developed to address underlying issues based on an up-close evaluation of representative areas performed in 2022. However, some conditions have been different than anticipated, which required some pivoting for the engineer and contractor. However, advanced planning for unanticipated conditions and conservative repair quantity estimates kept the project moving forward both from a schedule and a budget standpoint. Although, this is only Phase 1 of a projected 3-year project, the project is projecting under budget despite several challenges thus far.
2023 Fall Presentations
Zach Presant, Scott Waltman and Greg Walueff, PULLMAN SST
The Hicksville Parking Garage is a Filigree beam and slab structure with (4) levels of parking – 2 above grade and 2 below. The garage is home to over 1,400 parking spaces. Early in the life of the garage, cracking in the filigree slabs were observed. Emergency Shoring was installed and after an extensive evaluation, design documents were developed for a full project restoration.
Located in Hicksville, Long Island, NY, the Garage is daily parking for the Long Island RR servicing over 1,400 residents with park spaces to be able to commute to New York City. Because of the impact to its residents, the town had strict stipulations that the structure could not be shut down for more than 3 months. The project had a very condensed project timeframe, a significant structural repair scope of complete slab replacements, installation of CFRP for strengthening, and extensive MEP upgrades. All of this for a high-profile government client.
The project featured numerous schedule and logistical challenges. This necessitated the need for extensive planning across all phases of the project, creating daily and even hourly communication with the client along with significant manhours. The challenges and successes will be discussed which resulted with the project being completed Safely and on schedule.
2023 Fall Presentations
Gary Miller & Mike Bates, ARC Restoration & Waterproofing Inc.
W. Charles Perry, P.E, W. Charles Perry & Associates
The project is a 154-unit multi-residential & commercial building in San Francisco. What makes this project interesting is that the consultant, W. Charles Perry, PE & Associates, approached the Board of Directors of a 154-unit two structure 4 story cement board siding building in San Francisco that leaked from the day it was built in the windows, walls, roof & below grade parking garage. He offered a solution that would save the owners 5 million dollars from an 8 million settlement that they received.
The work took 1 ½ years to complete and consisted of removing the Hardi cement board trim, installing CIM waterproofing at the window perimeters and installing new cement board trim at all window units. We also completed the repair of concrete & stucco wall areas, Excavation & new drainage system at parking garage to stop leakage into garage. Waterproof, detail roof & apply silicone waterproofing & coatings to seal & protect the roofs. Finally, the exterior elevations of the buildings were caulked, waterproofed & painted for both buildings.
2023 Fall Presentations
Carlos Noya, Valcourt Building Services
Using a JSA is nothing new, and the majority look nearly identical. Yet, effective use is not always achieved by every crew, supervisor, etc. We will look at opportunities to improve the execution of hazard and control pre-planning to move the result away from meaningless towards meaningful. When done correctly, this can be the key to saving lives.
2023 Fall Presentations
Joe Solinski, Stone and Glazing Consulting
Tornados rarely occur in metropolitan downtown areas, yet the city of Fort Worth, Texas experienced a direct hit from an F2 Tornado on March 28, 2000. A summary of the tornado path and the associated devastation to surrounding buildings will be reviewed. Experiences will be shared from the perspective of the exterior wall consultant hired by the owner to manage the stabilization process. The focus will be on providing consulting support to the building owner and property manager in securing and remediating a (40)-story, all glass office building.
2023 Fall Presentations
Patrick Jorski – Sika/Master Builders Solutions
Ben Grandbois – Sunbelt Waterproofing & Restoration, LLC
Trinity Towers was neglected for years which lead to extensive repairs in 2023: concrete repair – vertical & horizontal, joints sealant, wall coatings, deck membrane & expansion joints. Located near a major interstate, the west elevation had significant weathering from exhaust & UV exposure. Deck Membrane was value engineered out during construction which lead to significant repairs prior to application.
2023 Winter Presentations
Stace Grund, Tatley Grund, Inc. - The Flying Hot Tub
2023 Winter Presentations
Jack Tabri, Alpha Restoration & Waterproofing and Nadia Anis and Amirsalar Pardakhti , Ferrari Moe, L.L.P.
Saving the Day; Restoring a Historic Garden Court From Near Collapse
1100 Sacramento Street is an eleven-story brick masonry structure that dates back to the 1920s. The building has a garden court that is situated over a two level below-grade parking garage. What started as an evaluation of leaks into the parking garage ended with emergency shoring of the slab due to severe corrosion of the reinforcing steel of the structural beams, followed by extensive repairs of the slab, and replacement of the waterproofing membrane and all architectural, hardscape and landscape features of the garden court.
In this presentation we will share with you the progression of the work by Ferrari Moe, LLP and Alpha Restoration & Waterproofing and review the extreme challenges in design associated with maintaining the original concept and hardscape features, and construction challenges associated with access, age of the building, sequencing, scheduling and unforeseen conditions.
2023 Winter Presentations
Sean Dunham, Kawika’s Painting, Inc.
Aloha Lani Pool Deck Renovation
Aloha Lani is a 359 unit Condo built in 1976, the pool deck sits on top of the 7 story adjacent parking structure and had seen no major renovations since original construction. Prior to the renovation a few PT cables had popped out of there anchor ends so the owners decided it was time to do a major renovation and update to the aesthetics.
2023 Winter Presentations
Les ZumBrunnen, Mosaic Engineering & Consulting, PC
Design Build – A Case Study in What Not to Do
A general contractor partnered with an investor to turn an early 1900’s century warehouse/museum into 16 luxury condominiums in the historic French Quarter in New Orleans using a design-build delivery method. Through a series of design and construction issues, 14 of the 16 units had active leaks within a year of completion. This presentation is a case-study in how decisions made during the design and construction process led to an epic failure.
2023 Winter Presentations
Lurita McIntosh Blank, Raths, Raths & Johnson, Inc.
Reroofing a Vernacular Treasure: Roofing Replacement and Timber Truss Stabilization at the Bauvais-Amoureux House
The Bauvais-Amoureux House was originally constructed in c. 1792 and is one of three known poteaux-en-terre (“posts in the earth”) style vertical log houses in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and one of only five known surviving poteaux-en-terre structures in the United States. Although the house has been altered, it retains the majority of its original c. 1792 fabric and presents a fascinating case study for intact and mostly undisturbed eighteenth-century construction. Starting in 2020, RRJ has been working with the National Park Service to investigate the history and craft of this vernacular structure. As part of a larger planned rehabilitation, stabilization of the distressed roof trusses is currently underway, as is replacement of the shake roofing. This presentation will discuss the unique structural and preservation challenges for vertical log structures.
2023 Winter Presentations
Jessica Maguire and Bill Leonhard, Allied Waterproofing, Inc. and Dunja Vla, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
10 & 30 S Wacker River Wall Remediation
This work addressed retaining wall deterioration along the Chicago River, at the base of 10-30 S. Wacker Drive, in Chicago, Illinois. This project was completed with repair of delaminated concrete both above and below the river waterline. After the walls were repaired, we applied a breathable water repellent sealer over the concrete wall cap surfaces, routed and sealed cracks, and removed and replaced boat tie-offs. This was our first time working with underwater concrete installation and had to rent a barge off of which we performed our work. Access to the site was a challenge as the river sits about 30' below street level.
2023 Winter Presentations
Kelly McBride, Century Building Solutions, Inc.
Trillium Towers – Thermal Coatings to the Rescue
Trillium Towers was a classic example of commercial office construction in the 80’s with twin 18-story towers and a lower annex that utilized pink GFRC precast panels and a combination of ribbon and punch-out windows with multiple step-down balconies at the 5th floor, 17th floor and penthouse levels. Approximately 10 years after construction in 1988, leaking began to plague the building and the first major renovation was directed by a consultant in 2003 that utilized pre-cured strips to seal the side-stack glazing system. Due to disputes with the initial contractor on the east tower, Century Building Solutions was selected to complete the second tower in 2006. Although the glazing seals ameliorated much of the leaking, the building still experienced minor leaks that continued to get worse over the next 10 years, especially in the upper high dollar suites.
It quickly became obvious that the GFRC panels were experiencing stress that led to cracking that was through the panel which in many cases which caused displacements in plane that raised questions about the structural attachments. Although Century alerted the building to this issue, due to lower occupancy, the ownership chose to simply rout and caulk the cracks for several years at a cost of $20 to $30 thousand each year. Finally, in 2017 ownership decided to reposition the building and convert the stadium tennis courtyard to a new tenant park along with changing the thermally-stained pink colored panels to white. During this process, Century brought in a structural engineer that proved the cracks were due to thermal stresses on the thin-shell GFRC panels due to the method of attachment which convinced the owner to address the structural issues with the panels and the leaking using epoxy stitching, then reducing the surface temperatures over 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a state-of-the-art cork aggregate thermal coating with excellent results
2023 Winter Presentations
Brett Laureys, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., John Krouse, Boston Valley Terra Cotta LLC and Dave Pettigrew, Mark 1 Restoration Company
Restoration Design/Build: Fulton County Courthouse
Built in 1914, the Lewis R. Slaton (Fulton County) Courthouse in downtown Atlanta is a terra cotta and granite clad building built in the Neoclassical/Beaux Arts design. The Fulton County Department of Real Estate and Management solicited design/build bids for the exterior restoration of the courthouse after pieces of terra cotta fell from the upper portion of the building. Though the solicitation included an extensive recladding of portions of the building using panelized GFRC, learn how the design/construction team modified the County’s approach to the project and saved the County money with an alternative solution using terra cotta. The presentation will include an overview of the terra cotta restoration and the coordination required between three SWRI members, Boston Valley Terra Cotta, Mark 1 Restoration and WJE to successfully complete the restoration on time and within the County budget
2022 Fall Presentations
Pat O’Brien, BECS
Baltimore City Hall’s Exterior Wall Restoration
Constructed from the years 1867 to 1875, Baltimore City Hall occupies an entire city block and hosts several Baltimore City municipal departments and offices. In 2016, Baltimore City was engaged in the planning phase of a façade investigation, as deterioration of marble pieces were increasingly visually evident. Following a reported lightning strike on June 21, 2016, a chunk of the marble façade broke free from the dome, crashed through a skylight and landed on an atrium floor approximately 100 feet below. Luckily, no one was injured in this event. The façade investigation swiftly followed and was conducted by Kann Partners, Architects (architect), Building Envelope Consultants and Scientists (engineer and enclosure consultant), and Contracting Specialists, Inc. (access support contractor). Over 4000 itemized instances of façade distress were documented in a report issued in February 2017. Exterior wall restoration construction documents outlining an 11-phase façade repair program were subsequently issued, and the project was awarded in 2019 to Lorton Stone, LLC (stone restoration contractor). The project is currently in its fifth and sixth phases out of eleven. This presentation will provide a brief history of the structure’s construction, review warning signs of historic marble façade distress, and discuss the innovative practices and techniques to preserve marble facade systems as observed at Baltimore City Hall.
2022 Fall Presentations
Kristen Navaid, Walker Consultants
Design and Construction Flaws Lead to Leaks in New Miami High-Rise
What happens when multi-million dollar condo units experience water infiltration a few short months before they are set to take occupancy? Walker was hired to investigate the sources of potential water infiltration and provide recommended solutions during the final phases of construction. The investigation lead to finding deficiencies related to both design and construction. A better understanding of both the design team and contractor for practical constructable details and importance of proper material installation provide a more water-tight building.