CSE Engineering, Inc.

Transcription

1 CSE Engineering, Inc. Consulting Structural Engineers December 3, 2012 Mr. Joel Heenan Plans Examiner City of Albany Building Department 333 Broadalbin Street Albany, OR Re: : Old Church Building at 4 th & Main Street, Albany, Oregon Dear Mr. Heenan, We performed a limited visual site observation of the church building at 4 th and Main Street on November 9 & 21, Non-destructive or destructive material testing and evaluation was not performed. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the information we obtained during our site observation and provide conclusions as to the condition and structural integrity of the building to support the design loads. Building Descriptions: The church appears to have been built around 1892 as indicated on a placard on the north side of the building. We understand that the original church building was moved to this site from another location. (Time unknown) The church is currently being rented and used by the Faith Harvest Fellowship Congregation. The church is a one story wood structure with basement. When the church was moved to its present location, it was expanded to include a large sanctuary room. It appears that the original building was separated at the middle so that the sanctuary could be built between the northern and southern halves. The northwest corner of the church contains a bell tower with iron bell still in place. It also appears that the original entrance was located on the north side of the bell tower structure prior to the remodel. Observations: We observed the exterior of the building to be showing extensive signs of deterioration due to lack of maintenance. It appears that the building has not been properly maintained for many years. The roof appeared to be asphalt shingle on oriented strand board (OSB). Although the condition of the asphalt shingles indicates that a re-roof appears to have been done at some time in the past. It too shows signs of deterioration as evidenced by the amount of moss growing on the roof S.W. Western Blvd., Suite 290 Corvallis, OR Phone: dconklin@cse-engr.com

2 Page 2 of 6 The exterior walls show extensive exposure damage with siding board separating from the wall framing. It does not appear that the building has been painted in many years. The paint has deteriorated and peeled off the siding boards over much of the building. There are many areas on the exterior walls where water infiltration has entered the wall cavity. Many of the siding boards show decay and dry rot damage especially along the base of the walls at the foundation level. Many of the windows have wood trim including sill plates that are extensively damaged due to exposure and dry rot. The foundation has cracked at several locations around the building. We did not observe any anchorage between the exterior wall sill plate and foundation. We did observe that the sill plate was exposed to the weather and had evidence of insect and dry rot damage on the south side of the building. West Exterior Bell Tower Bottom Corner South Side Bump-Out Dry Rot & Insect South Bump-Out

3 Page 3 of 6 South Side Center Sanctuary Addition Exterior Wall to Foundation We used a man lift to perform a visual observation of the bell at the top of the bell tower. The tower framing above the bell showed signs of deterioration due to exposure and appeared to be leaning slightly. The ceiling boards above the bell were loose and a couple of boards had separated allowing pigeons to access the space above and roust. The ornamental wood work that makes up most of what is visible has deteriorated and shows signs of dry rot. The support framing for the bell could not be observed but the flashing covering the support framing was bent up around the sides and corners allowing the framing to be exposed to the weather. We also observed that the bell appeared to be sloping slightly. West Side Bell Tower Bell Tower

4 Page 4 of 6 The roof eaves have sagged at the gable ends of the building due to support failure. The knee brace supports have separated from the structure. (See photos below) South Gable - Eave Sag East Gable Eave Sag Our visual observation of the ceiling space above the first floor of the interior of the building revealed that the original church halves had vaulted ceilings to the underside of the roof framing. It appears that after the building re-location and remodel to add the sanctuary room, a flat ceiling was constructed. North End Ceiling Space North End Vaulted Ceiling We did observe that the floor along the east wall of the northern portion of the building had a soft spot that would deflect when we stepped on it. The sanctuary room is approximately 30-0 wide. The floor framing of the sanctuary room consisted of 1 x decking over rough sawn 2 x 16 o.c. framing joists that are supported by rough sawn 6 x 6 beams down the center of the room and by walls along the sides of the room. The 6 x 6 beams are supported by 3 to 4 diameter steel columns at approximately 8-0 o.c. The joist span is approximately 15-0 on

5 Page 5 of 6 both sides of the beam centerline. There are many interior walls within the basement that may be providing some support to the floor framing. Some interior walls have been built up under the 6 x 6 beams and may be providing some support. At least two 6 x 6 beam bays do not have additional wall support. The older north and south building section floors appear too framed similar to the first floor of the sanctuary room. The rough sawn 2 x 12 joist in these areas are spaced at 12 o.c. 6 x 6 Beam/Column Support Below Sanctuary North Building Section Original Floor Framing Conclusions and Recommendations The exterior of the building is in very poor condition. The lack of regular maintenance including paint, joint caulking around windows and corners and siding repairs has exposed the building framing and interior of the building to the weather and has led to the deterioration and dry rot conditions we have observed. We did see some evidence that the poor condition of the exterior has caused damage to the support framework within the exterior walls. This was observed on the north side where the sill plate has decayed and will require replacement. It is difficult to estimate the extent of the damage to the exterior walls and further investigation that will include removal of the siding to better determine the damage beneath and evaluate whether or not there are any safety concerns for continued occupancy that will need to be addressed. An analysis of the floor framing supporting the sanctuary was done. The 6 x 6 beam analysis assumed simple span, rough sawn select structural material. Based on this analysis the two beam bays that are not supported by walls have a live load capacity of approximately 25 psf. The 2 x 12 analysis of the floor joists assumed simple span, rough sawn no. 1 material. Based on this analysis, the joists have a live load capacity of approximately 80 psf. The design live load for assembly areas such as a sanctuary is 100 psf. The analysis demonstrates that the existing floor framing will require strengthening to meet current code design live load requirements. It should be noted that past occupation of this church since its relocation does not appear to have resulted in any noticeable failure or excessive deformation of the floor framing observed. It appears that the current

6 Page 6 of 6 tenants have been using this church in a manner as not to overload the floor framing. Use at this live load level isn t consistent with current code requirements and continued use would be at owners/tenants risk. For continued use, we recommend that the floor beams under the sanctuary that are not supported by walls have additional posts installed to decrease the beam spans in half. The walls under the remaining floor beams should be examined to verify that they are supporting the beams. The sanctuary should be posted for a maximum live load of 70 psf. The bell tower framing has been exposed to the weather and shows signs for serious deterioration and decay. Based on our observations, we recommend that the bell be removed. We did not observe any anchorage between the exterior wall framing and foundation. This can lead to the building sliding off the foundation during a seismic event which may lead to a partial collapse of the building. Any consideration for moving the church to another location is outside the scope of this report. A detailed analysis of the church structure by a company that specializes in moving building structures would be required. Based on our observations and the age of the building, we conclude that the building will require some seismic upgrade in combination with the structural repairs to the gravity support framing in order to make it structurally sound and eliminate unsafe conditions. A more detailed analysis of the building is required to address any unsafe conditions not observed or addressed in this report. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call this office at your convenience. Sincerely, David R. Conklin, P.E., S.E. CSE Engineering, Inc. Encl.

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