Waterproofing as it Applies to Assembly and Structural Integrity

As building envelope professionals, we can’t emphasize enough how critical the waterproofing discipline works alongside a structural team during and beyond construction.

The Champlain Towers South building collapse is a disaster beyond belief. First responders continue to dig out the rubble upon publication of this article.

David Santiago/ Miami Herald via Associated Press

We acknowledge their dedication and professionalism as they work to find those loved ones who are unaccounted for.

It is so important to be able to identify adverse moisture and water-related conditions early. Such specific conditions may end up affecting the building assemblies that may result in degradation of structural capacity.

Depending on the building assembly type, the degradation could be slow (masonry assemblies) or rapid (wood assemblies). However, in both cases, unless the source of the degradation is repaired and the intrusion is mitigated, the degradation can and will lead to an eventual structural compromise that can result in a catastrophic failure.

It is very critical for building professionals to survey their buildings and mitigate/repair any attributes that may be the cause or contributing factors of building assembly degradation.

Allowing the building components to “live” in an environment that is non-standard and lends itself to degradation can place the entire building in unchartered territory that lends itself to an unknown reduction of the building’s expected lifecycles and renders the structural experimental rather than predictable.

Terra-Petra provides all consulting services for sub-slab vapor barriers consulting services for sub-slab vapor barriers, below-grade waterproofing and drainage, podium and balcony waterproofing, planter waterproofing, and drainage, exterior wall cladding and weather-resistive barriers, and roofing assemblies.

For more information or to discuss your next or current project visit: https://terra-petra.com/wp/building-envelope-consulting-los-angeles or contact Barry Taheri.

CONTACT RCI JOIN RCI SEARCH EMPLOYMENT ADS SEARCH TECHNICAL ARTICLES MEMBER LOG IN RCI, Inc. RCI, Inc. is an international association of building envelope consultants. Members specialize in design, investigation, repair, and management of roofing, exterior wall, and waterproofing systems. RCI, Inc. is an international association of building envelope consultants. Members specialize in design, investigation, repair, and management of roofing, exterior wall, and waterproofing systems. MEMBERSHIP Become a Member Membership Categories and Rates Member Benefits, Programs, and Services Member Resources/Downloads PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATIONS Registered Roof Consultant – RRC® Registered Roof Observers – RRO® Registered Waterproofing Consultant – RWC® Registered Exterior Wall Consultant – REWC® Registered Exterior Wall Observer – REWO® Registered Building Envelope Consultant – RBEC® EDUCATION Educational Event Calendar 2019 RCI International Convention & Trade Show Education | Speakers Trade Show Info. Sponsors | Exhibitors Hotel and Accommodations 2018 RCI Building Envelope Technology Symposium Register to Attend Education | Speakers Sponsors/Exhibitors Schedule of Events Hotel Accommodations Building Envelope Educational Programs e-Learning Programs 2018 Canadian Building Envelope Technology Symposium- Legacy Site Register to Attend Education | Speakers Sponsors/Exhibitors Schedule of Events Hotel and Accommodations PUBLICATIONS RCI Interface, Technical Journal RCI Interface – Digital Edition RCI Manual of Practice Publications Marketplace Technical Articles Library NEWS/ADVOCACY RCI News Posts RCI In the Media Media Partners Position Statements Technical Advisories Member Self-Advocacy Tools ABOUT RCI RCI Members’ Services RCI Members’ Ethics Code Board of Directors Chapters and Regions Committees Association Staff Privacy Policy Frequently Asked Questions FIND A MEMBER You are here: Home / Education / RCI, Inc. – 2018 Building Envelope Technology Symposium RCI, Inc. – 2018 Building Envelope Technology Symposium

Terra-Petra Waterproofing Divison Sponsors 2018 Building Envelope Technology Symposium

The Terra-Petra Waterproofing Division was proud to sponsor the 2018 RCI, Inc. Building Envelope Technology Symposium at the at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, November 16-17, 2018. We had our executive team on hand (Barry Taheri, Josh Heidt, Dan Valdez and Justin Conaway).

This two-day educational program offered cutting-edge information regarding design, construction, maintenance and repair of modern and/or older building envelopes. The event’s open, inclusive environment encouraged attendees to ask questions and stimulates dialogue. Speakers offered relevant solutions by referencing real-world examples and specific case histories.

RCI’s expert instructors offered more than just technical data. Presenters reinforced program content with practical examples from applications in the field. With plenty of opportunities to ask questions, attendees got the answers they needed. Instructor/attendee dialogue was definitely encouraged. Geared towards building envelope professionals, architects, engineers, contractors, and facility managers, this program was invaluable to anyone involved with maintaining or designing building envelope systems.

rci-aia-logos-vertAttendees earned up to 12 Continuing Educational Hours (CEHs) from RCI.

Members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) earned up to 12 Learning Units (LUs) and Health Safety Welfar (HSW)>
Credit reported directly to AIA.

 

Highlights:

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Terra-Petra’s Forensic Wateproofing Expert Delivers Successful Lunch & Learn Program for SOM Los Angeles

Terra-Petra’s Forensic Waterproofing Expert,   Barry Taheri,   presented his sixth lunch and learn program for global architecture, planning and design firm,   Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM),   at their downtown Los Angeles offices on Grand Avenue, on August 29, 2018.

In his presentation, “The Principles of Building Enclosure Systems,” Taheri provided info on the importance of building waterproofing and the benefits of investing in mock-ups, along with a few live demonstrations. Our delicious lunch was catered by Mendocino Farms.

Terra-Petra’s presenter Barry Taheri was more than happy to stay after the presentation to field questions from many of the audience members. We want to thank SOM for their time as we were very impressed with this world-class firm and hope to be able to work with them on projects in the near future.

Contact Terra-Petra  for information on how to schedule a Lunch and Learn Program for your organization.

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The Principles of Building Enclosure Systems: Lunch and Learn Program

Terra-Petra’s Forensic Waterproofing Expert,  Barry Taheri,  recently presented a lunch and learn program for global architecture, planning and design firm, CallisonRTKL at their downtown Los Angeles offices on Hope Street on August 22, 2018.

In his presentation, “The Principles of Building Enclosure Systems,” Taheri provided info on the importance of building waterproofing, and the benefits of investing in mock-ups along with a few live demonstrations.  He plans to present more of lunch and learn presentations in the months to come.

Contact Terra-Petra for information on how to schedule a Lunch and Learn Program for your organization.

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Detec Systems Training for the Terra-Petra Team

Certified ELD Field Testing Crew, from left to right: Diego Saucedo, Project Coordinator Andrew Alvarran, Anthony Avina, Alvaro Arellano, Director of Field Operations Daniel Valdez and Chad Herrick of Detect Systems.

Certified ELD Field Testing Crew, left to right: Diego Saucedo, Project Coordinator Andrew Alvarran, Anthony Avina, Alvaro Arellano, Director of Field Operations Daniel Valdez and Chad Herrick of Detect Systems.

Detec Systems visited Terra-Petra’s Los Angeles office this week to conduct a comprehensive education and training session to promote their innovative product line of leak detection technologies. Detec provides leading-edge technology in the field of electronic leak detection (ELD), by way of membrane integrity testing and scanning, and automated structure monitoring. The training session included a classroom like session followed by field training on a jobsite.

detec-system-training12

The Terra-Petra Waterproofing Division is certified to conduct ELD testing throughout Southern California for numerous types of fluid-applied waterproofing and roofing systems in compliance with ASTM 7877-14. This includes any thermoplastic roofing system, any asphalt based waterproofing, traffic coatings, hot and cold fluid applied membranes and some bentonite systems (as long as they have thermoplastic reinforcement).

Terra-Petra employs the use of the Detec Systems Roof Membrane Integrity Scanner (RMIS) to accurately identify breaches in new and existing membrane systems. Many contractors are using a 24-48 hour flood test to check for breaches in these types of waterproofing assemblies. While this method can identify water leaks, it is time consuming and less cost effective. The benefits of the RMIS technology is that breaches and other imperfections can be identified, repaired and re-tested the same day, saving valuable time, resources and money for any project.

Please contact us for a quote.

Terra-Petra Inspector Anthony Avina being trained to perform ELD Testing on vertical surface.

Terra-Petra Inspector Anthony Avina being trained to perform ELD Testing on vertical surface.

 

ELD Testing at penthouse pool using the Detec RIMS System

ELD Testing at penthouse pool using the Detec RMIS System

See more photos here.

Mixed-use project, called Metropolis, is unprecedented for Downtown L.A.

If you travel down through the Downtown LA area on a regular basis, you have probably noticed the every-changing skyline. As an environmental engineering firm, Terra-Petra is taking part with many of these new projects. One of which is called the Metropolis (you can't miss this large mixed-use community steadily growing along the 110 freeway). The Terra-Petra Waterproofing Division is consulting on the building envelope waterproofing system for the Metropolis project and inspecting all of the waterproofing as it gets installed. 

Read more about Metropolis and other projects currently being led by Chinese developers in Downtown Los Angeles.

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Terra-Petra contributes to new projects transforming Downtown LA

As one of the most well-known environmental engineering and building waterproofing companies in the Los Angeles basin, Terra-Petra is currently working on or has completed some very high-profile projects in the Downtown LA area. Some of the most notable projects, among many others, include:

The Wilshire Grand Tower – the Wilshire Grand skyscraper will one day be the tallest west of Chicago. (Terra-Petra photo of project start to the right.)

The Metropolis, a $1B development is one of the largest mixed-use projects under construction on the West Coast.

Oceanwide Plaza will break ground in spring 2015. This $1B project will have a total of three towers and an expansive above-ground outdoor space. A five star hotel and 200k SF of commercial space will be included. There will be 504 condos and 183 hotel rooms.

South Park Mega-Project (Chinese developer Shenzhen Hazens) is a three towers along Figueroa Street across from L.A. Live. A 30-story hotel tower would rise at the northwest corner of Flower and Eleventh streets. A 30-story condo tower would be at Figueroa and Eleventh streets, and a 42-story condo tower would be at Figueroa and Olympic.

According to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), the "flurry of activity" in the recent years is defiantly the biggest construction boom they have witnessed since the 1980s.

However, LADBS does say that it is yet to be seen if it's the biggest boom in history or not. 

Stay tuned.

4 DEVELOPMENTS THAT WILL TRANSFORM FIGUEROA
Los Angeles Mixed-Use Jan 14, 2016 Jerry Liu, Bisnow, LA

We already told you about some of the mega-projects that will reshape Sunset Boulevard, perhaps one of the most famous thoroughfares in the world. But if you're really following what's hot in LA, it's all about Downtown. So we decided to take a look at some of the developments that will reshape the future of one of Downtown's most notable streets:

1. Circa
Location: 1200 Figueroa Players: Hankey Investment, Jamison Services, Falcon California Investments, Highlands Capital, Harley Ellis Devereaux, LendLease. Completion date: Late 2017. The $500M project will build twin 35-story towers housing 648 luxury condos on top of a seven-story retail podium. There will also be 48k SF of retail and 1,770 parking spaces. This project broke ground in summer 2015 and features a curved glass look that offers a panoramic view of LA, and many other neighboring high-rises, including the Metropolis. Bisnow chatted with Hankey president Scott Dobbins this week to get the latest status update on the development.

2. Oceanwide Plaza
Location: Figueroa and 11th Players: Oceanwide Real Estate Group. Completion date: 2018, condos hit the market in 2017. Breaking ground in spring 2015, this $1B project will have a total of three towers and an expansive above-ground outdoor space. A five star hotel and 200k SF of commercial space will be included. There will be 504 condos and 183 hotel rooms total. Chinese firm Oceanwide had previously acquired the development from New York City-based Moinian Group. This will be the first real estate venture for Oceanwide outside China.

3. Shenzhen Hazens
Location: Entire block bounded by Figueroa, 11th Street, Flower Street and Olympic Boulevard Players: Shenzhen Hazens, Gensler Completion date: After 2020. It's no secret Chinese firms are transforming the LA landscape. Shenzhen Hazens will add to the mix with a $700M redevelopment in the Luxe Hotel area. The project plans to break ground in 2017 and will be split into two phases. Phase 1 would build two 30-story towers, one residential and one hotel. Phase 2 would completely replace the Luxe Hotel with a 42-story residential tower. Expect the finished mega-project to have 650 luxury condos, 250 hotel rooms and 80k SF of retail space. We caught up with Shenzhen Hazens Group executive project director Sonnet Hui recently to get more on the company's plans.

4. MyFigueroa
Location: Four miles of streets from Downtown LA to South LA. Players: LADOT, Troller Mayer Associates, Melendrez, GEHL Architects. Completion date: 2017. Promising to make it easier for transit and bicycle users, this project will start in late spring 2016 and complete in 2017 under a $20M budget. It will link USC and Exposition Park to Downtown LA with better signals, signage, crosswalks, transit platforms, bikeways and trees. There will be on-street, fully separated bike lanes on each side of Figueroa for 27 signalized intersections. There will also be a lot more accommodations for public transit, including for the Silver Line and the upcoming streetcar service.