Parking Structures

Parking structures are exposed to some of the harshest environmental conditions of any structure. They are subjected to water, chloride in salts, thermal expansion/contraction, structural movements and abrasion. These conditions lead to the deterioration of the structure which can not only be a structural concern, but also a safety or nuisance concern to vehicles and pedestrians. Historically, parking structures were not designed with durability in mind and have needed to undergo extensive costly restorations. More attention in recent decades to durable design has helped to minimize major restoration projects, however deficiencies still exist and these structures require ongoing restoration and maintenance to maintain the value of the asset and to provide a pleasant experience for the parking patrons. Parking structures vary widely in terms of exposure conditions, original design/construction durability, amount of maintenance and structural system type. Engineering evaluations by trained, experienced engineers are imperative to properly assess the condition of these structures in order to make cost effective decisions relative to needed repairs and maintenance.

Building Facades

Building facades as the skin of the building protect the occupants and the internal structure from the exterior elements. This is important in minimizing deterioration to the internal structure but also for the comfort of building occupants. A more serious concern can be deterioration of exterior façade elements creating safety concerns for pedestrians at street level around the building. Increasingly, the air and thermal performance of building facades are of great importance with the national efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the commercial building stock. Types of building facades vary and include stone, masonry, EIFS, stucco, precast, concrete, metal panels and aluminum/glass curtain wall. Evaluations of existing building facades experiencing deterioration or leaking by experienced engineering professionals will provide tremendous value to any building or project.

Other Structures

Restore Consulting has experience in completing engineering evaluations, design and restoration of these additional structures:

Plaza Waterproofing

Areas over occupied space around buildings. Mark Postma was the one of the primary authors of “Below Grade Waterproofing” chapter of the Whole Building Design Guide website (www.wbdg.org) for the National Institute of Building Sciences.

Concrete Structures

Evaluations, durability assessment, material testing

Structural Strengthening

Utilizing conventional and FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) structural strengthening methods.

Steel Structures