Hollow Core Plank – Retrofit anchor solutions. It has been over 12 years where one project in NYC had hollow core plank specified on 5000PSI CMU block walls. Problem was the job was built with 3000psi CMU resulting in compression failure of the brick at every floor line. In lieu of tearing down the structure we supplied custom Cintec anchors to allow the reskinning of the brick after we strengthen the connection for the plank to the block. Attachment to brick, CMU Block, Speed Tile or even steel is a typical application.
Blog
Vintage Blind Side Membrane Injection Waterproofing
Almost 30 years since we did blind side injection into an overhead NYC Subway platform sandwich slab on Roosevelt Avenue to re-establish the waterproofing of the original felt paper/tar membrane, circa 1904, over a drop down electrical room. Those were the good old days when as usual we were told it couldn’t be done but when some says it “cannot be done” it means they cannot do it, it doesn’t mean that we cannot do it.
Fire Resistance/Concern for Anchors
ENGINEERS, PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING – I just spoke with a national anchor testing lab. They told me that to get the test anchors out of the concrete, THEY USE A TORCH! Think about it. Ever wonder why resin anchors aren’t allowed over 6 stories in the UK, something else to think about.
GROZNY, RUSSIA. APRIL 3, 2013. A fire at a 145-meter-high building in Chechnyas capital Grozny. This is the Olympus (Olimp) Tower in the Grozny City compound. (Photo ITAR-TASS / Murat Kazbekov)
When New Construction Turns Into Restoration
Cintec while primarily used as a retrofit high capacity cement based fireproof anchor is rarely considered for new construction so most designers are not familiar with the 50 year track record of this system. However when there is a deficiency in new construction or an anchor fails, it them, by definition, becomes a restoration project. The problem now becomes, most structural engineers are not restoration/adaptive engineers and are not familiar with this type of retrofit solution. It is however a common solution in the restoration, stabilization, strengthening community. Please reach out to www.cintec.com or our site www.conspec-rep.com for your repair/restoration needs.
CINTEC – Better, Faster, Cheaper?
What is the difference between a restoration engineer who specifies Cintec and one who doesn’t? This project on 5th Avenue in New York City needed a repair and an anchor for only this one piece of terracotta. The photo shows the preparation for the repair and the hole in the face of the terracotta piece that will accept the Cintec anchor. The engineer who considers Cintec a go to solution will use it on a project like the Helmsley Building where there are hundreds of substantial 2-4 foot anchor or on a project where there is only one anchor. If you do not specify or install Cintec please consider both your options and installed cost to solve this problem.
For those that use and specify Cintec they get it, for those aren’t they really DON’T GET IT. Not only is there less insult to the structure but the cost to the owner is substantially less and it is a truly sustainable solution. Think about it on your next project.
Giatec Maturity Meter – In-Situ Concrete Strength
I started in this business in the early 70’s as VP of Windsor Probe and now companies like Giatec and others are making it easier, faster and more profitable for contractors to shorten their construction cycles with in-situ maturity/strength testing.
Darwen Terracotta and Laser Measurements
Berkshire Dimensions, Warren Wilford, doing the laser scanning for our Darwen project in the Bronx. Documentation yesterday, files and drawings in the hands of Darwen for final shop drawing details next week and once we get color approval it is off to the races. This is how we can keep our 14-16 week delivery schedule viable. Please consider Darwen on your next terracotta project especially if you need material in 2021.
Means, Methods and Materials – Idea to Spec to Implementation – The Process
For almost 15 years I have said that of 100 civil or structural engineers there are less than 5 that truly understand the repair, restoration, strengthening and stabilization of exiting projects using Stabilize-In-Place principles rather than a Rip-Out-And-Replace mentality (SIP vs ROAR). I have now come to the conclusion that the same can be said of restoration contractors regarding the acceptance and implementation of new concepts especially when they are not specified but rater fill a need or provide a better way on a project.
Recently I had the please of providing a material on a project, to a major restoration contractor, where I had tried to get them to consider using for almost 4 years resulting in the comment “I wouldn’t use anything else!” which was the subject of my last article. On another project I worked on a spec for a new rehabilitation concept for almost two years and am now waiting for it to come out to bid while just this past week I was called out on a similar project, suggested this same concept then; 1) The contractor immediately called his structural engineer, 2) The concept was accepted immediately by the structural engineer even though it was his first introduction to the product/process, 3) The change in product/process will be installed within the next two weeks and again, also reinforces the validity of the SIP vs ROAR concept, resulting in considerable savings in both time and money while maintaining the structural integrity and fabric of the structure.
When the right Means, Methods and/or Material, even new in concept, are proposed for a particular repair or stabilization application, time should not be the limiting factor rather implementation of the item proposed when it is sound, based a structural, process, sustainability and/or cost basis.
Ruredil PBO (Carbon Fiber) considered for repair of second Prestress Plank Parking Structure in NYC – Storm Damaged Areas also under Consideration
After being specified for a Prestress Plank Parking Structure in CT which also employed spray applied Zinc based upon the breath-ability of the Ruredil Cement Based System, a second application is now being considered for a New York Project. A Class A Fire Rating, ease or application, ability to be applied in damp or wet conditions as well as a ductile failure mode make it the preferred system over its resin alternative systems.
Another parking garage repair was also started in Jerusalem and an application on a 3 hr fire rated mechanical room concrete slab in Seattle will be done this month.
Attributes not available with resin systems make Ruredil the preferred product. While Ruredil’s Carbon Fiber is used primarily for masonry strengthening and repair , which makes it a primary consideration for distressed masonry structures in storm damage areas, its Class A Fire Rating and ease of application have it gaining ground for concrete applications. Storm ravaged areas considering their “saturated” condition will allow Ruredil to be immediately applied to all distressed concrete and masonry applications, unlike their resin alternatives. The fact that any qualified mason who can handle a trowel, can apply Ruredil, is also a major consideration. Basically if you can install a stucco or a EIFS system you can install Ruredil.
What makes a Structural Engineer a Restoration Engineer?
“MATERIAL(S)”
It is the structural engineer who has a true understanding of the materials within the Built Environment when approaching a restoration project and can cause the least insult to those materials that is the true Restoration Engineer.
Consider the Acronym “SIP vs ROAR” (Stabilize-In-Place vs Rip-Out-And-Replace) as it relates to;
- Cost to the material of the structure
- Cost to the environment with removal rather than stabilization
- Cost to the owner
- Time extension for completion
- Inconvenience to occupants
- Aesthetics
- Encroachment on adjacent properties
- Additional support structures during restoration
- And the list goes on!
Before our BOMA members pick their Engineer for the next LL11 Cycle think about asking the following two questions to you prospective engineer.
- Do flexible wall ties need to be replaced with more flexible wall ties during a restoration where they are found deficient and ask for reasoning for either response? Are rigid ties acceptable?
- Your building is in Manhattan and your parapet shows signs of distress. Which one, two, three or all of the following typically face the most distress; 78th Street side, 77th Street side, Madison Avenue side or Park Avenue side?
Europe has been training restoration engineers both in school and on the job for more years than our country has existed. While there are currently several efforts underway by engineers like Michael Drerup to establish graduate programs here in the United States we are only recently beginning that effort so most restoration engineers trained here in the US are validated by their time in the field. If your potential engineering firm does less than 50 percent of their work in restoration you may want to reconsider. It is not the building’s they have built, rather the buildings they have saved.
