Adjacent Construction Damage Investigation: 1147 South Hope Street
Location
Structure
Services
Forensic engineering services associated with adjacent construction
Year Constructed
1919
The structure at 1147 South Hope Street is a two-story unreinforced masonry (URM) structure that was originally built in 1919. It began to show distress after an adjacent property commenced excavation for construction of a 30-story reinforced concrete structure with subterranean parking garage. The excavation caused settlement of a URM wall foundation along the edge of excavation. The settlement caused tilting and cracking of the exterior walls, settlement of the floor slab-on-grade and other distress to the URM building.
Walker provided forensic engineering services for investigation of distress, consulting services during repair design and construction, and litigation support services for 1147 South Hope Street associated with the construction of the adjacent building. We performed visual and non-destructive evaluation to determine extent of overall damage and analyzed construction monitoring data to determine the cause of settlement. Walker concluded that the adjacent construction did not provide adequate support for the existing building’s wall foundations prior to and during the excavation. The team assisted in repair design and repair construction administration and also supported the client in resolving insurance claim dispute.
Walker properly identified distress to the building caused by adjacent construction during our forensic investigation. The distress to the building was properly restored. We provided consulting services during the repair design and construction phase.
The client was compensated for the damages caused by adjacent construction. Walker assisted the client in settling the insurance claim.
