Part 2: Investigation, Repair, and Rehabilitation
Part 1 of this 2-part series (STRUCTURE, June 2018) addressed structural behavior and assessment methods. Part 2 focuses on analysis and repair options. …
Author Archives : Milan Vatovec, Ph.D., P.E.
Milan Vatovec is Consulting Principal at Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. (mvatovec@sgh.com)
Part 1: Investigation, Repair, and Rehabilitation
Part 1 of this 2-part article addresses structural behavior and assessment methods. Part 2 will focus on analysis and repair options.
Due to increasing costs and restrictions associated with redevelopment (replacement) of existing buildings, as well as municipal initiatives geared to promote the preservation of the existing building stock, repair and rehabilitation of existing buildings have become economically and politically attractive options for property owners. …
Part 4: Architectural Components and Finishes
This series of articles discusses a number of commonly encountered structural issues on renovation and restoration projects that focus on historic houses of worship, and provides guidance on ways to address them. Parts one, two, and three of this series dealt with foundations, wall systems, and roof framing in historic houses of worship. This article addresses interior architectural components and finishes. …
Part 3: Roof Structures
This series of articles discusses some of the commonly encountered structural issues during the renovation and restoration of historic buildings of this type, and provides guidance on ways to address them. Parts one and two of this series focused on foundation and wall systems, respectively. This part focuses on roof structures. …
Part 2: Walls
This series of articles discusses some of the commonly encountered structural issues with renovation projects focusing on historic buildings of this type, and provides guidance on ways to address them. Part two of this series focuses on wall systems. Part one, published in the December 2014 issue of STRUCTURE magazine, reviewed common issues with foundations. Part three, to be published in an upcoming issue of STRUCTURE, will focus on historic roof systems. …
Part 1: Foundations
Performing renovation or restoration work on historic houses of worship presents a unique set of challenges for design professionals, and in particular structural engineers. These structures often feature large open-space areas, archaic structural systems and hard-to-define load paths, and varying degrees of deterioration or distress (often lack of maintenance and upkeep driven). …
As discussed previously in Untreated Submerged Timber Pile Foundations – Part 1 (STRUCTURE® magazine, December 2013), deterioration of pile tops exposed above groundwater levels is a well-known problem. It is less known that submerged portions of timber piles can also deteriorate with time, albeit at a slower rate, due to bacterial attack. This may become critical when considering underpinning methods aimed at extending service life of structures supported on timber piles. …
The use of untreated timber piles as foundation support in Europe and the U.S became more wide-spread at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, when industrialization led to the rapid expansion of urban areas. Their use was common in regions with natural soft soils, or where urban-fill was used for land development, such as in the northeastern U.S. Thousands of historic structures across Europe and the U.S. currently remain supported on untreated timber piles; their continued use and maintenance costs highly depend on the condition of the piles after tens or hundreds of years of in-ground service. …
While some of the more complex design, detailing and critical coordination on a building construction project occur at the interface of the structure and the building enclosure, building design teams often consider façade-system attachments as ancillary components of the project. In fact, design, fabrication, and erection of façade systems are often subcontracted out to a specialty contractor, who is part of the construction team. …