Structural Condition Assessment of County-Owned Building
Lee County, Florida, retained Weston & Sampson to perform a structural assessment on a county-owned building to ascertain its integrity. The steel-framed DETAR building, originally constructed in 1990 on top of a closed landfill, had been suffering from foundation settlement on its northern half, making it unsuited for office use. Settlement-related roof leaks, gaps between the glazing and window frames, and separation between the metal siding and the concrete floor slab resulted in rainwater intrusion that had led to the formation of mold and serious decay of the timber window frames.
After making several site visits to inspect the building conditions, we reported our findings, along with new data calculating the building’s demands and capacities for future use, which determined that all notable findings were directly or indirectly related to the differential settlement. To address the building’s current conditions, extend the building’s service life, and increase occupant safety, we recommended substantial retrofits and replacements to key features that were affected by the settlement, along with periodic structural assessments to monitor ongoing settlement conditions.
Key Project Features:
- existing conditions structural assessment
- calculation of structural demands and capacities
- future use, repairs, and maintenance recommendations