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Prairie Architects, Inc. |
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Wingspread Conference Center Racine, Wisconsin |
Landscape -- Extensive trees, shrubbery and vines close to the building created continually damp locations to the detriment of building elements, not to mention the directly invasive activity of vine tendrils and tree root activity. We endorsed the policy of severely curtailing the growth of vines and restricting large trees adjacent to the house. In particular, trees at the east side of the Terrace Room might be thinned to admit more sunlight and alleviate dampness conditions there. Sitework and Foundations -- Wright positioned Wingspread in a way that minimized excavation or filling of land forms. Where fill was provided, settlement had been a problem. Settlement and loss of foundation fill (suspected from the 1967 renovations) at a number of locations had aggravated continuing damage to retaining walls and terraces. Terrace construction had been problematic, especially at the Cypress Terrace where settlement of fill dirt had given rise to cracking and crazing. The creation of the improperly filtered dry well in the Kitchen Courtyard had given rise to massive settlement of the concrete paving and the wall. The foundations primarily consist of perimeter rubble foundations, varying in depth. Generally these were considered to be stable. Piers also appear to have been constructed on rubble foundations and did not provide support for the living room roof. The HVAC tunnel installed in 1962 was in danger of collapse in several places. Drainage -- Wright's perimeter rubble trench foundation appear to have provided free flowing space for ground water passage. However, with time, there may have been migration of soil and fill materials into the interstitial spaces of the stones. In addition, many of the facility's drain systems were blocked and inoperative. Prairie Architects recommended that non-functioning drains should be restored to use and a surface water collection and management system should be connected to the existing subdrain system. Brick Masonry Systems -- Brick masonry wall construction took three forms at Wingspread: brick veneer on wood stud walls; grouted core walls (two wythes of brick with a layer of reinforced grout and a layer of cork in between, a method used at the Johnson Wax Administration Building); and thinshell with brick veneer walls. A range of problems was noted, from localized hairline cracking and mild efflorescence (early warning sign of masonry problems) to full failure evidenced by spalling brick surfaces away from their substrata, and cracking structural elements. Brick masonry failures at Wingspread were characteristic of the combined effects of freezing and thawing of water which had become entrapped in the brick and in pockets within the brick and within the wall (aggravated by the use of the specially designed bricks from the Administration Building). While the raked horizontal brick mortar joint detail specified by Wright clearly contributed to these failures, it created such a strong visual effect that the horizontal rake should be continued in future repair and reconstruction. In some areas, settlement problems compounded these masonry failures, as at the Kitchen Courtyard. Repair of masonry elements at the Cypress Terrace and Rose Terrace retaining walls were recommended. Reconstruction of the Kitchen Courtyard wall was also recommended. Where entire sections of wall were rebuilt we recommended the introduction of weep holes into the construction. For the long term, it was recommended that improperly shaped brick be replaced with correct shapes (eliminating the special dovetail/core shapes for brick veneer construction) with attention to mis-colored brick joints. Brick masonry sealers were not recommended, except in a few extreme conditions, where they should be vapor permeable. Sealers which have been applied in the past should be removed. Brick should be routinely examined for algae and efflorescence and cleaned. Efflorescence -- Masonry materials are naturally porous and absorb water. This is not a problem as long as the masonry has an opportunity to dry out. However, when masonry materials remain damp, water moving through the materials allows salts to be carried to the surface where they crystallize into efflorescence. Such efflorescence creates expansion pressures within building materials and is a repository for additional moisture on the surface of building materials. Therefore, this is not only a cosmetic problem. Walls need to be monitored for the presence of efflorescence and gently cleaned. |
Exterior Conditions and Recommendations Page 1 |
Prairie Architects, Inc. -- 103 South Third Street -- Fairfield, Iowa 52556 |