Building Envelope Restoration at the Historic Groton Public Library

GRLA initially conducted a 17,000 SF building envelope condition assessment and leak investigation study for the circa 1893 library building and contemporary addition located in a local historic district in Groton, Massachusetts. This led to recommendations for replacements of the low slope membrane, slate roof, and copper gutters, as well as brick masonry repairs, and wood window restoration.

The first phase, which are repairs to the low slope membrane roof, replacement of the slate roof, and installation of new copper gutters, is currently underway.

Copper flashing for the gutters, valley, and building expansion joints going in over the roof underlayments.

Progress of the slate roof replacement with the first Parish Church of Groton in the background.

Progress of the roof replacement on the rotunda.

Front of historic Groton Public Library

The Struggle with Windows: Troublesome Leaks

By GRLA Building Envelope Sciences Assistant Project Manager, Ty Spencer

It is often said that there are two types of windows:

1. Windows that leak.

2. Windows that will leak.

Unfortunately, the reality of this saying is true. Some windows that are brand new and newly installed will leak right away, while others eventually leak over time. If we are not careful, windows are certain to fail sooner than anticipated.

Ty Spencer, Assistant Project Manager

So how do we catch window leaks? As building envelope engineers, we can:

• Perform testing to make sure the new window is installed properly and has no defects.

• Design details during the design phase, anticipating the fact the windows will leak and detail the window opening accordingly.
  

Window testing is a major part of the work our 6-person Building Envelope Sciences team here at GRLA does. We perform both water testing and air testing to ensure the quality of the design and installation. (News flash: windows can leak air too!).

Water testing and air testing according to ASTM & AAMA standards is an integral part of our building envelope consulting and building envelope commissioning work that gives us instant feedback.

The main types of window testing we perform are:

• ASTM E 1105: “Standard Test Method for Field Determination of Water Penetration of Installed Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls, by Uniform or Cyclic Static Air Pressure Difference”,

• AAMA 501.2: “Quality Assurance and Diagnostic Water Leakage Field Check of Installed Storefronts, Curtain Walls, and Sloped Glazing Systems”, and

• ASTM E 783: “Standard Test Method for Field Measurement of Air Leakage Through Installed Exterior Windows and Doors”

Nima Mansour, Project Manager

Our team for testing is led by Nima Mansour, who has over 27 years of experience between Thompson & Lichtner, and here at GRLA as a project manager. Together, Nima and I have tested hundreds of windows. And believe it or not, even when newly installed, not all windows pass right away.

Window testing can catch these troublesome leaks before they become a bigger and much more expensive issue to solve! Together with proper design detailing, a little work now can protect your building investment for many years to come.

Awed by Joseph Lstiburek's Facade Seminar

Ty Spencer
Assistant Project Manager
Building Envelope Sciences

A Report by GRLA Building Envelope Sciences Assistant Project Manager, Ty Spencer, on a recent seminar on facades and building envelopes hosted by the legendary Dr. Joseph Lstiburek (sponsored by Porcelanosa).

Dr. Lstiburek, called "the dean of North American building science" by the Wall Street Journal, has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience as well as a terrific sense of humor. He also has a knack for simplifying any subject - all of which made for a highly enjoyable day.

The building envelope keeps the inside in and the outside out. - Joe Lstiburek

During the day long seminar, attendees were able to discuss numerous subjects relating to the building envelope, yet the entire experience can be summarized into three words: Trust Your Judgement!

Our jobs as designers and problem solvers for the building envelope seem to become even more complex daily. As Dr. Lsitburek said, we used to just build our shelters with rocks!

Multiple factors influence modern building enclosure commissioning and design such as:

• Building codes, amendments, restrictions, etc. which can vary from state to state, and town to town.

• A multitude of different materials which may or may not be compatible, or even allowed to overlap each other.

• Numerous products also have a vast number of individual manufacturers to choose from.

• Input of technology. There are several programs (WUFI for example) available to help determine where and when buildings will fail.

• Increasing energy efficiency requirements.

All of these factors are intended to help benefit our buildings, but often tends to complicate design. At the end of the day, the take away from the seminar was that building envelope engineers should remember Dr. Lstiburek’s words of wisdom and simply: Trust Your Judgement!

The MERC at Moody & Main - GRLA provided design review, mock-up assistance, and construction observation and testing to the CM at this new mixed use development in Waltham, Massachusetts.

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Let’s Talk!

Call us at (508) 544-2723 to discuss your project.

Preventative Masonry Facades: Fact Finding First

A Report by GRLA Building Envelope Sciences Assistant Project Manager, Robert Gutmann

Masonry buildings, like any other building type, require routine maintenance. Proper maintenance of a masonry façade can increase the longevity of the building by decades, which is evident in many historic buildings throughout the world. Failure to properly maintain a masonry building goes beyond aesthetics and has fundamental safety and risk management implications.

To fully understand the condition of the masonry façade, routine inspections should be done to determine the overall condition. Building Envelope Forensic Services is one of many tools that GRLA’s Building Envelope Sciences Department is able to provide.

Recent events spotlight the need for routine maintenance and inspection. Tragically, on May 20, 2019, an aspiring concert pianist suffered serious injuries, including needing a finger amputated, after the façade of an Allston, MA restaurant collapsed on her last fall. This ultimately led to legal actions being taken against the business, the building’s owner, and its property manager.

“It’s a fundamental requirement of owning a piece of property – you have to maintain it in a safe condition,” according to Boston Inspectional Services Commissioner William Christopher Jr.  (Full Boston Globe Story)

The City of Boston Municipal Code is very clear in the requirement for inspections for an occupied building, 70 feet or taller, is at least once every five years.  In nearby Brookline, the requirement is an inspection for all buildings three stories or taller or that have parapets or facades of masonry or concrete.  This proactive approach was the direct result of a partial collapse at a residential building.  The above-mentioned collapse in Allston was a one-story building, which currently is exempt from all inspection regulations.  It is the responsibility of owners of smaller buildings to secure inspections and repairs as needed. 

GRLA’s Building Envelope Science group can provide inspections and recommendations to ensure your property’s safety and continued desired aesthetic. Those included are:

1. Visual Inspection

The simplest and least expensive is a visual inspection that involves visually inspecting the façade existing conditions and marking up a defect inspection sheet. GRLA pulls from decades of experience and resources, such as The Brick Industry Association or the Masonry Institute of America, to analyze the data in determining the overall condition of the façade to suggest a maintenance program that fits both building needs and your budget.

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2. Monitoring

Monitoring is another way to evaluate the existing conditions. The most common way to do this by setting up instruments that can measure changes in the façade. The uploaded photo is an example of crack monitoring. Depending on the type of crack, how the crack migrates though the façade, how large the crack is, and what type of movement the crack exhibits will help aid us in determine what the best repair are needed.

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3. Water Testing

Another type of inspection is water testing. At its basic form water is applied in a controlled, systematic fashion to determine where the source of a leak may be coming from. This is an important tool when working around transitions between windows, doors, balconies, and other penetrations, like pipes. Data, such as testing duration, water volume, location, and other information, is collected to determine how well the masonry wall assembly performs.

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4. Invasive / Exploratory Testing

A fourth type of inspection is typically called an invasive or exploratory test. This involves removal of the outer wythe masonry bricks or masonry veneer to visually inspect the inner backup wall or interior wythe depending on the type of masonry wall construction. This is done by carefully removing bricks so that they can be reused.

Once an existing condition assessment has been performed, the collected information can be used to quantify the severity and frequency at which repairs are needed. With this information, GRLA’s Building Envelope Sciences Department can generate a preventative maintenance plan with cost estimates.  

Spring marks an ideal time for building owners and facility managers to survey their buildings and structures for any damage that may have resulted from the cold winter weather and freeze-thaw cycle. Please contact us with any inspection or maintenance needs you have.

Additional resources:

·         ASTM E2270 Standard Practice for Periodic Inspection of Building Facades for Unsafe Conditions

·         BIA Tech Note 46 – Maintenance of Brick Masonry

·         APT Building Technology Heritage Library

Duffy Burlington

Over in Burlington, MA, a 50,000 SF construction project at The Residence and Shoppes at Simonds Park is progressing. This development will contain two new retail buildings, just beginning to take shape, and an almost-complete residential building, which offers 29 apartments. Lately, attention has been given towards exterior details such as:

• brickwork

• precast details

• storefront entry systems on the retail buildings.

Retail Building 2

Lovering Heights Elderly Development

Medway Housing Authority’s Lovering Heights Elderly Development has its roof replacement project wrapping up.  The five buildings' two-story residential complex has had a new asphalt shingle roofing system installed after its previous roof system failed prematurely.  New system components also include the following:

• Self-adhered waterproof underlayments

• Synthetic water-resistant underlayments

• Copper vent pipe flashings

• Preformed aluminum drip edges

• Aluminum gutters and downspouts

GRLA is looking forward to scheduling a punch list inspection once the contractor has finalized gutter and downspout installation.

M.E. O'Brien & Sons Inc.

M.E. O’Brien and Sons new 9,500 SF corporate office is currently under construction in Medway, MA, with a schedule of it being completed in mid-late July. The construction began during the winter and the project schedule was maintained through the rough late winter that New England endured.

With the vast majority of the building envelope installed, effort has now begun to concentrate on the finish sitework and the office interiors. Lately, landscaping and other exterior work is being completed and, during the last week, finishes have started to be installed, including:

• paint and flooring on the interior,

• feature wall utilizing decorative faux wood wall planks,

• ceramic tile floor to exhibit the Owner’s outdoor site furnishings.

Feature Wall

Great News! Envelope Details Are Required By Law!

Did you know that construction documents, by law, must include details showing how the building envelope is to be constructed?

Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash

This is great news! Why? Because clear, carefully crafted building envelope details make it easier for Contractors to build a reliable, high performance building.

And since buildings consume nearly half of all energy produced in the U.S. and the building envelope is responsible for about 25% of that energy use there are some big opportunities to improve performance here. 

Add to that the opportunity to reduce risk - problems from water leakage make up a big percentage of construction litigation - and it's clear why we should all want better buildings.

Ok, so back to the key point - all of this wishing and hoping for better buildings is actually supported by the law! Here's the pertinent section from the International Building Code:

“Construction documents for all buildings shall describe the exterior wall envelope in sufficient detail to determine compliance with this code. The construction documents shall provide details of the exterior wall envelope as required, including flashing, intersections with dissimilar materials, corners, end details, control joints, intersections at roof, eaves or parapets, means of drainage, water-resistive membrane and details around openings.”

— 2009 International Building Code, Section 107.2.4

Wow, right? How often is all of that crystal clear in a set of construction documents? 

Let's look at a definition real quick too: exterior wall envelope is defined in Section 1402.1 of the IBC as a system of components that provides protection from the detrimental effects of the exterior environment (slight paraphrase). 

The important part of that definition is that it is all about function. Aesthetics are great, but the obligation to detail the building envelope is not about how it looks, it is about how it works.

Here's another key point: the building code is the minimum standard. It literally describes the worst building you're legally permitted to build.

Let that sink in.

So if you're a designer and you want to do better than the worst - if you want to be an A student instead of scraping by with a D - your building envelope designs and documentation need to go even further than what's described above.

When a client is hesitant about the cost to properly detail critical components of the building, we should all be reminding them of these obligations. Let's all work together to raise the bar in our industry. 

Don't leave out key details. Understanding and clearly documenting how water, air, and heat are controlled by the building envelope is a critical part of the design process. It's OK to rely on building envelope specialists to help with the building envelope design - just like there are specialists for mechanical, structural, lighting, and other components of the design. 

But it's not OK to leave it out.