Masonry Magazine September 2008 Page. 42
FLASHING >>> CASE STUDY
TotalFlash in Action
Slashing labor costs; boosting moisture protection
BY MICHAEL TRUNKΚΟ
Left-Ashbury Tower before restoration. Below right-Asbury Tower after restoration.
ASBURY TOWER IS A 26-STORY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY FOR SENIORS. The 35-year-old facility has 347 apartments and is located on the ocean in Asbury Park, N.J. While the building was structurally sound, sections of the brick facade had begun falling off.
LAN Associates, Engineering, Planning, Architecture, Surveying Inc., based in Midland Park, N.J., has been retained to reengineer the skin and spec out the project. The project also includes mechanical upgrades to air conditioning and sprinkler systems as well as interior upgrades, including new kitchens and bathrooms. The principal-in-charge and architect-of-record is Kenneth Karle, AIA, PE, and president of LAN Associates. LAN services federal, state, county and municipal governments; housing authorities; boards of education; Fortune 500 companies; foreign companies and private clients.
Blade Contracting, of Staten Island, N.Y., is the masonry contractor. The company specializes in brick, block and waterproofing of new construction, high rises, and restoration work.
After scaffolding the entire building, the brick on each floor is being removed and then replaced.
"The demolition was the real challenge," says James Lerie, VP of Blade Contracting. "On new construction, we start from the bottom and work our way up. This job's different. We're going from the top down, and it's a challenge. It's harder than other projects."
Faced with time constraints and a structure subjected to severe ocean weather, LAN specified Mortar Net's TotalFlash for cavity wall drainage. The pre-assembled panels of flexible flashing and drainage components are designed specifically to control moisture in masonry construction.
"We saw an ad for TotalFlash in a trade publication and requested information for this project," says Vlad Potiyevsky, project architect with LAN. "We didn't want to use copper or lead-coated copper, which must be soldered in the field. They're expensive and time consuming, and it's hard to get precise joints, especially working high up. Soldering lead-coated copper also puts off toxic fumes."
Since the architects, engineers and masons had never used TotalFlash, LAN chose to do mock-ups before the actual installation. This enabled them to iron out several issues, such as the height of the flashing, the installation procedure, and how to attach it.
LAN brought in a testing agency to test the system on the completed mock-up wall. A four-inch water column was put on the mock-up a lot of water and it held up flawlessly. The water wept through the embedded weep tabs, and everything worked well.
Potiyevsky says it was worth every penny to do the mock-ups and evaluate each step before starting the demo. Time spent in the beginning paid off.
"The mock-up allowed the contractor to get used to the system, rather than trying it for the first time on the building." Potiyevsky says. "Preplanning on the ground is much more effective than doing it, without practice, 26 stories up."