• Building Envelope Consultants and Scientists

REVIEWING YOUR BUILDING’S SKIN THROUGH FAÇADE INSPECTIONS

The façade is the skin of the building. Its primary goal is to keep the outside out and the inside in. The façade covers many parts that all work together to meet that goal. When the façade is doing its job, you may only notice the decorative appearance that your building showcases. However, when something goes wrong, it takes experience and in-depth knowledge to diagnose the root cause through façade inspections.

Building owners, managers, and architects are often unsure who they can count on to solve their façade problems. “We have a leak,” “why is there condensation on my windows,” “what is causing my brick to crack.” Or even worse, “our building has things falling off”. These are just a few of the things we hear when our phone rings. Therefore, we understand your frustrations.

BECS’s engineers, architects, and technicians can help you put the pieces of the puzzle together. We investigate the issues by focusing our inspection on the common culprits first. These include brick masonry, mortar, weatherproofing and sealants, previous repairs, windows, to name a few. Many of our investigations are non-destructive. There are times, however, when it is needed to peel back the onion and seek what is behind the wall. We have the ability and network of professional contracting companies to assist and repair semi-destructive tests too.

BECS has a team of industrial rope access and rope descent technicians who effectively and efficiently access areas of your façade that aren’t quite so accessible via traditional means. This gives us an edge as we may not need expensive and bulky swing stages and man-lifts to get to those hard-to-reach places.

Following our inspection, we will issue you a report or letter outlining our findings and providing pragmatic solutions and risk factors. From these conversations, we will be able to assist you in the design documents needed for the repair.

Missing Mortar Joints

FAÇADE ORDINANCE COMPLIANCE

BECS routinely helps our clients achieve compliance with local façade inspection ordinances by using our highly trained and specialized Façade Access Support Technicians (FAST).  Our FAST team has the training, talent, and equipment to quickly and safely allow for our Professional Engineers and Architects to get up-close, hands-on observations of façade defects and deteriorations.

For some façade inspections, specifically, those involving historic stone, terra cotta, and other masonry materials; the intricacies of the façade components may make the findings of visual, ground-based, binocular or scope surveys limited or leave nagging questions about the conditions of the façade.

For many façade inspectors, compliance with local ordinances can only be achieved once they have answered the nagging questions.  Our commitment to the development of our FAST team allows us to swiftly and safely access the façade without the excessive added cost and inconvenience of swing stages, beams, weights, and labor.

Not every ordinance will require a hands-on assessment, but with our FAST team, BECS can provide up-close observations that even a drone cannot compare to.  There is no substitute for hands-on assessment when public safety is on the line.  If you suspect overhead hazards exist on your façade, over the public right-of-way, then you need to act FAST.  Let BECS help you achieve compliance with the local façade ordinance and give you the peace of mind of knowing that your façade is safe.

Facade ordinances are specific to the location. BECS staff can assist building owners and managers in navigating the local ordinances and helping address areas of concern. Here are some areas we are working on facade ordinance inspections:

  • Boston, MA
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Columbus, OH
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • Philadelphia, PA

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