Before embarking on a major repair campaign, the owners of this 35-story condo retained SUPERSTRUCTURES to conduct an independent investigation.

The building’s brick masonry facade exhibited bulging at numerous locations at the spandrels below the windowsills. The owner had engaged a consultant who attributed the bulging to gradual deterioration of the integrity of the spandrel components. The consultant prescribed total brick replacement—a solution that would have affected 65,000 square feet of facade, with an estimated cost of $7 million and a timeline of two years.

Probes at several locations revealed that the bulging was not a symptom of facade distress, but an original, as-built condition. The building’s structural concrete frame was not perfectly aligned, so the brick veneer was curved to accommodate the concrete’s profile. Despite the curvature, the facade’s surface exhibited no localized distress. We did, however, note an absence of some of the wall ties that anchor the brick veneer to the backup construction.

SUPERSTRUCTURES’ solution compensated for the absence of original wall ties with the introduction of judiciously spaced anchors. The firm prepared construction documents delineating our recommended solution and assisted in contractor selection and construction administration.

The repair campaign cost $4 million and was accomplished within a single year, saving our client time and money, with far less disruption to the lives of the building occupants.