vertical accessquarterly  Industry news and perspective from Vertical Access LLC    Volume 1, January, 2004

helping architects and engineers deliver superior design documents
   

 

St. Thomas Church Resurvey  by Kelly Streeter

St. Thomas church surveyOn 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 restorationSt. 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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"State of the Art Techniques for Monitoring and Protecting Historic Structures"

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  

exterior roof investigationVertical 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.

fiber-optic investigationTechnical Highlight:

see snake investigationA 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:

design document details 1design document details 2

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