Building Envelope Assessment: Projects

Beach Cove Tower

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The Beach Cove Tower C is a 15 story reinforced concrete-framed structure containing 70 units.  The exterior wall system consisted of a proprietary fiber reinforced portland cement plaster system directly applied to cast-in-place concrete walls and over gypsum sheathing supported by a light gage steel framing system.

WDP was retained by legal counsel to the stucco applicator/light gage steel framing contractor to perform an investigation to assess the installation of the systems and determine causes of alleged defects.  WDP was later retained by legal counsel to the glazing contractor to determine if its installation was compliant with the Contract Documents and industry standards.

WDP’s scope of work included the review of Contract Documents (including the Project Drawings, Shop Drawings, Specifications, and Contract Agreements) and an on-site investigation of the wall cladding and fenestration systems.  Based on the document review and site investigation, WDP developed an expert report, provided expert witness testimony, and assisted in mediation to identify problems in the design, installation, and/or manufacturing of products as well as provide recommendation for repair.

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The Renaissance on Charleston Harbor

Charleston, South Carolina

The Renaissance on Charleston Harbor is a two building condominium community which suffered from design and construction deficiencies related to the exterior masonry. WDP was retained for investigative engineering services and to assess the various structural issues. Following substantial completion of construction, the buildings experienced leakage which had damaged interior finishes along exterior walls. The leakage was attributed to problems with the masonry, roof, flashing, windows, and sliding glass doors. The purpose of WDP’s involvement was to review project documents and reports and evaluate the as-built conditions encountered during the repairs currently being performed to determine the cause of water infiltration into the buildings. WDP provided recommendations related to the remediation and provided expert witness services to help resolve litigation between the various parties. The litigation was resolved and the masonry exterior was repaired.

 

Harbour View Grande Shopping Center

Suffolk, Virginia

WDP was hired by EPT to perform an investigation of the exterior EIFS façade and clay tile roofs of the movie theatre and buildings A and B of the retail center. A condition assessment survey was performed and included: review of the original design documents, standard and non-standard water testing, exploratory openings in the facade to document as-built conditions, analysis of facade movements, and structural analysis of the existing exterior framing. Numerous defects in the façade, exterior light gage steel framing, and structural steel supports around the windows were identified. WDP was retained to prepare restoration designs and bid documents for the project.

The restoration program included complete replacement of the EIFS façade and clay tile roofs, installation of supplemental light gage framing members at select locations, and installation of new structural steel framing around the storefront and curtain wall window systems of the theatre. WDP served as the Construction Manager for the project and provided construction inspection and materials testing of the contractor’s work as needed.

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Office Complex Building Envelope Investigation

Richmond, Virginia

The office facility experienced water penetration through the building façade since completion of construction. Water penetration was attributed to defects in the roof system, window systems, stone cladding and building expansion joints. Through systematic standard testing and proprietary testing, WDP determined the dominant paths of water penetration through the façade and perimeter components.

Design documents were produced for execution of repairs to the façade, window systems, and building expansion joints. WDP also served as an expert on the Owner’s behalf for litigation. WDP provided consulting services to assess construction and design defects related to the parking structure, excessive cracking, and water ponding resulting from improper design of the structural slab system. Beam deflections resulted in significant water ponding on decks which presented a durability problem and safety hazard.

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Metro Lofts Apartments

St. Louis, Missouri

WDP was hired by the building contractor to determine the causes and responsibility of the water leakage experienced in three apartment buildings. The exterior of the apartment buildings was primarily comprised of EIFS, brick masonry, and several different window and sliding glass door systems. Numerous deficiencies were found in the installation of the masonry flashings, manufacturing and installation of the windows and sliding glass doors, and manufacturing and installation of the drainable EIFS.

As part of the investigation, WDP tested over 100 different windows using standard and non-standard water tests, made exploratory openings, and conducted a document review of all available construction documents. Non-standard water tests were developed to simulate natural rain events to replicate and determine the source of the leaks. Repair documents were developed once the causes of the leakage were determined. WDP worked closely with the general contractor to implement the repairs through mock-ups and onsite observations of the remediation.

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