St.
Thomas Church Resurvey
by Kelly
Streeter
On
July 15-17, 2003, Vertical Access technicians inspected and documented
exterior facade conditions at St. Thomas Church on 53rd Street and 5th
Avenue. The re-survey was intended as a public safety and maintenance
survey subsequent to the repair campaign that occurred in 1996. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners are the architects for the
project.
This
1914 Cram Goodhue and Ferguson building is constructed of load-bearing
limestone. The Fifth Avenue
facade has an elaborately ornamented entrance with a rose window above.
The buttresses of the towers are largely plain to offset the
ornamentation of the entrance.
Vertical Access technicians worked closely with
Angel Estrada, the building manager, to identify areas that needed
special attention.
For
more information about St. Thomas Church, see www.saintthomaschurch.org/
To
view the project profile for VA's first St. Thomas Church assessment, go
to our website, www.vertical-access.com/st-thomas-church.html
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Local
Law Information by City
by
Kelly Streeter
|
New York,
NY |
Chicago, IL |
Detroit, MI |
Columbus, OH |
Boston, MA |
Law |
Local Law 11 of 1998 |
Sections 13-196-031 -
13-196-039 |
Ordinance 15-88 |
Ordinance 1296-85 |
Ordinance 9.9-12 |
Code |
Building Code of the
City of New York |
Municipal Code of
Chicago |
Detroit City Boca
Building Code |
Building Code of the
City of Columbus |
Supplemental to the
Massachusetts State Building Code |
Section |
Section 27-129 |
See Above |
Section 12-11.7.3 |
Section 4109.073 |
See Above |
Agency |
New York City Department
of Buildings |
City of Chicago
Department of Buildings |
Buildings and Safety
Engineering Department |
Building
Services
Division (of the Department of Development) |
Inspectional Services
Department |
Phone |
212.312.8000 |
312.744.3400 |
313.224.3235 |
614.645.7433 |
617.635.5300 |
Email |
through website |
through website |
n/a |
jfbusch@cmhmetro.net |
through website |
New York City
New York City's facade ordinance local
law 11/98 (scroll down to 27-129) is comprised of a series of
changes to the older local law 10/80. The reporting requirements
for the years 1998-2002 were confusing for many building owners because
of the different options for compliance under the new law. By this
time, all cycle five local law inspections should have been completed.
The next reporting period (cycle six) runs from February 21, 2005
through February 21, 2007.
Chicago
Chicago's original facade ordinance, Chicago Municipal Code 13-196-031
through 13-196-039 has recently been changed - see the changes
as of September 4, 2002
Detroit
Section 12-11-7.3 Inspection and
certification of cornices and other projections attached to buildings
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VA
In the News: St. Bartholomew's Church*
St.
Bartholomew's Church, at Park Avenue and 50th Street, has a magnificent,
Romanesque-Revival wheel window on its southern facade. The
window's tracery and stained-glass panels are supported by 16 radial
spokes, each composed of an interior limestone column and an exterior
marble column. When a recent investigation found cracks in three
of the external marble columns, the church called on the Conservancy's
Technical Services Center to help solve the sticky repair problem.
The
traditional solutions - stabilization or removal of the damaged elements
- wouldn't work because the vibrations from drilling could detach
fragile stone fragments. Conservancy staff worked with engineer
Timothy Lynch, of Robert Silman's office, and Kent Diebolt of Vertical
Access to develop an innovative solution: fastening the exterior marble
column to the interior limestone column with stainless steel straps.
In
March, two specialists from Vertical Access used rock climbing ropes and
gear to reach the window and install the strap system. With one
person on the exterior and another on the interior, they passed the
straps through small slits cut into the glass and fastened them
tightly. A dedicated church and expert consultants developed and
innovative remedy to a small defect that could have turned into a huge
problem if left unaddressed.
*Article
reprinted with permission from the New
York Landmarks Conservancy
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Symposium
on Instrumentation of Historic Buildings Presented
by the Association for Preservation Technology and the New York
Landmarks Conservancy
Saturday
March 27, 2004
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Columbia University,
New York, NY
Co-Sponsored by: Northeast Chapter of the Association for Preservation
Technology, Structural Engineers Association of New York, Columbia
University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Synopsis:
This symposium will focus on technologies developed
in other fields that could have significant uses in historic
preservation and architectural conservation. Interested
participants will include architects, engineers, architectural
conservators as well as owners and managers of historic buildings.
The morning sessions will focus on emerging
technologies for instrumentation and monitoring of structural movement
in historic buildings. Professionals from several disciplines will
discuss the application of fiber optics and global positioning systems
as well as the integration of existing technologies for evaluating
structural building movement.
Afternoon sessions will introduce and explore the
application of cathodic protection systems to the preservation of
historic steel frame buildings. Although well-proven in the
shipbuilding, highway infrastructure, and petrochemical industries,
cathodic protection has tremendous potential for protecting against
corrosion of steel frame buildings.
Proceedings
from the symposium will be published in the Association for Preservation
Technology (APT) Bulletin.
A
pdf
version of the announcement is available on our website.
For
more information, please contact James Banta at james@vertical-access.com
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Technology
Highlight: Philadelphia Museum of Art text by James Banta, photos by Jon
Reis
Vertical Access was
hired by Vitetta (www.vitetta.com) to perform an
investigation of exterior roof, gutter, and flashing conditions of
the Philadelphia Museum of Art www.philamuseum.org In order to perform our
survey, we set up ropes as temporary fall protection so that we
could safely access all areas of the building's series of massive
roofs.
Vertical Access developed scaled and dimensioned partial roof
plans for each gutter that include the location of high points
relative to a benchmark for each run of connected gutter. The location of all drains,
lightning protection, vents, and hose connections were identified on
the drawings. Vertical
Access also developed dimensioned plan views as well as longitudinal
and transverse sections through mechanical equipment wells, locating
all drains and other roof penetrations.
In addition, a series of detailed sections and isometric
drawings were created to document existing gutter, valley, and
flashing configurations. Vertical Access produced all drawings and
details in AutoCAD.
A
laser level was used to determine the relative height of the
gutters' high and low points.
Benchmarks were established at each run of gutter to
ascertain absolute pitch and help determine the guttersm capacity to
carry water.
A real-time digital video and audio link
between Vertical Access technicians and the client facilitated the
efficient exchange of information on site. This service provided the
client with the next best thing to being on the roof themselves, an
example of Vertical Access commitment to strong team communication
and a hands-on approach to the documentation of existing
conditions.
Technical Highlight:
A fiber-optic
diagnostic tool called a "See Snake" was used extensively for the
investigation of internal copper leaders and cast iron drains. This rugged device consists
of a miniature video camera with wide angle lens and built-in light
source attached to 200 feet of heavy duty fiber-optic cable. The "See Snake" has a
portable monitor and VCR that is utilized on site for viewing and
recording the video feed and operator's narration. (For more information on the
See Snake approach, see: http://www.vertical-access.com/fiber-optic.html).
This
project at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is just one example of how
Vertical Access overcomes the challenges associated with inspections
in hard-to-reach locations.
Our ultimate goal is to minimize uncertainty in the design
and construction process by providing intelligent and useful
information to our clients during the pre-construction or discovery
phase of a project. We
are in the business of gathering and sharing information on existing
conditions, and industrial roped access techniques provide one means
to this end.
We really enjoyed working at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art and being part of the process to improve the
conditions of such an impressive building.
Work
product details - click to enlarge:
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