After the building engineering noticed some disturbing cracking in their parking garage, we were retained to perform a visual condition assessment of the nine level structure. During our condition assessment, we noted significant distress including, spalls, cracking, ponding water, corrosion damage, and waterproofing failures.
One of the most significant areas of distress was cracking of the interior building columns at the ramps due to a phenomenon called “short-column action” we performed an analysis to determine if the cracking had compromised the structural capacity of to the point that it was unsafe. We determined that the cracking did reduce the structural capacity, but not enough to be a concern unless it significantly worsened in the future.
We prepared a report for the owner prioritizing repairs of the observed distress. Our report included floor plans documenting the locations of observed distress and a discussion of typical damage. The owner took the information and budgeted for the work to be completed as part of their ongoing maintenance plan.
