Mission 106 is mixed-use complex with 132 apartments, commercial retail space, and many amenities. The 149,000 sq ft building is a wood-framed superstructure constructed over a concrete podium. During construction, the project team observed water...
As required by the City of Boston, The Carillon’s condominium association undertook an inspection of the building’s facade. SGH performed the inspection, identifying cracks in the glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels along...
Located in Moline’s Overlook District, the Deere-Wiman House and Butterworth Center were constructed in 1872 and 1892, respectively. These neighboring, historic mansions are now managed by a non-profit organization. Working with the...
With a 21-acre footprint, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) is the largest convention center in New England. The facility features nearly a mile of elevated roadway partly over occupied space and a barrel-shaped, metal roof...
The North Hospital Complex consists of several large buildings, including three patient towers to the west, a cylindrical elevator core, ancillary buildings, and a large atrium. Designed in the late 1970s by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the...
The apartment complex, containing over 300 units in seven interconnected buildings, experienced sagging and settling of elevated walkways and balconies shortly after construction. SGH investigated the causes of distress in the wood-framed...
Completed in 1990, the Suffolk County House of Correction (HOC) consists of eight buildings ranging in height from three to fifteen stories. HOC personnel observed water leaking into the buildings. SGH investigated the causes of leakage, designed...
Completed in 2007, 4646 Broadway Lofts is a twelve-story condominium building. Shortly after construction, occupants reported water leakage, condensation on window frames and glazing, and areas of uncomfortably warm or cool temperatures in some...
Completed in 1989, Steven Holl’s Hybrid Building at 121 Central Square forms an arcade at the east end of the main square at Seaside. The mixed-use building comprises commercial space at the ground floor, the Seaside Community Development...
Built in 1937 as Doris Duke’s Hawaiian estate, Shangri La is now open to the public for viewing the heiress’s extensive collection of Islamic art. One of Hawaii’s most architecturally significant homes, the complex is inspired...
The article illustrates the risks of failing to properly design and construct projecting balconies, and the walls and fenestration assemblies rising above them, to resist water exposure. It presents various examples of buildings in which...
"You're running your water test too long- why are you going for more than 15 minutes?" "You're applying too much water- are you supposed to be replicating an 'actual' rainstorm, because this flow rate is more than...
also published in RCI Interface, March 2011|Abstract: This presentation will discuss failures and other problems encountered during forensic investigations of ailing curtain wall systems, with primary focus on glass and metal (aluminum)...
Water sustains all life on earth. But it is also nature's universal solvent. Water causes more building enclosure failures than any other agent. Whether a failure results from excessive metal corrosion, or the spalling or displacement of...
Thin brick veneer is an exterior cladding system of brick from 3/8 to 3/4 in. thick attached to a substrate, used to imitate standard size brick veneer walls. There are three basic types of adhered installations with many variations within each...
The majority of building performance problems are caused by water leakage through the building envelope and condensation of moisture in exterior wall and roof assemblies. Identifying the sources of water leakage is a critical first step to...
Abstract: Essential components of the building enclosure, windows allow light to enter and keep weather out. Water penetration performance, in particular, can be critical. Are specifiers getting what was advertised?
Abstract: Portland cement plaster, also known as stucco, is a popular and common exterior wall cladding finish. One concern of this otherwise excellent material is its inherent cracking--not only causing visual blemish, but also leading to...
Many construction contractors prefer to place below-grade property-line walls using shotcrete to save costs associated with formwork installation. However, below-grade shotcrete walls at property-line conditions have frequently been susceptible...
also published in RCI Interface, April 2010|Abstract: The latest standard for window and door installation, ASTM E2112-07, Standard Practice for Installation of Exterior Windows, Doors, and Skylights, recommends sill pan flashing under all...