Washington, DC
Designed in the brutalist style for which Marcel Breuer is known, the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building is a ten-story administrative building employing precast and poured-in-place concrete as a structural as well as aesthetic material. In this regard, the HUD Building influenced the architecture of federal buildings for many years. The curvilinear “X” plan of the building results in expanses of windows on the main façades and blank end walls with projecting stair towers. The main façades of the building utilize pre-cast concrete at the exterior and the end walls are clad in black granite.
Scope of work
- Close visual examination and hammer-sounding of granite cladding at exterior of four end walls, as part of two separate investigations.
- Documentation and quantification of fault conditions using TPAS® direct digital annotation system.
- Fiber-optic and non-destructive evaluation of subsurface conditions.
Problems solved
- Completed comprehensive close visual examination of end wall with minimal impact on building occupants and public.
- Employed diagnostic tools to confirm the presence and condition of lateral anchors between granite units and the location of shelf angles at floor lines.