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This webinar was co-sponsored by ASCE's CDFI/TCFE and ASCE Continuing Education

Instructor:  Kimball J. Beasley, P.E., F.ASCE

Course Length: 1.5 Hours

Facades offer our first impressions of buildings. Ornate or utilitarian, visually rooted in the earth or dissolving into the sky, playful or somber, building facades reflect the personality of their builders, and can affect us in much the same way as music. Of course, facades also form part of the building enclosure – separating the weather outside a building from the controlled environment inside. In this sense, building facades are sacrificial, and begin to weather and wear from the moment they are constructed. Exposure over time to precipitation, daily and seasonal temperature cycles, sunlight, and atmospheric chemistry can compromise the appearance, function, and safety of building facades.

Typically much less standardized in detailing and function than their supporting structural frames, and precariously set high above passing pedestrians and vehicles, building facades present a unique set of challenges to maintain the everyday safety of our cities. In the United States, numerous people have been injured or killed by façade elements falling off buildings. Masonry facades are particularly susceptible to fall hazards; although every cladding system presents vulnerabilities.

This webinar introduces attendees to the tools and techniques of effective façade evaluation and risk assessment, failure diagnosis, and repair and restoration. The instructor will review façade inspection laws now in force in several American cities, and present strategies for effective and efficient compliance with those requirements. Attendees will learn about tools and techniques for visual examination, destructive and non-destructive testing, classification of distressed conditions, and other important topics pertaining to evaluation. The instructor will also discuss effective strategies for interim and long-term repairs, illustrated with case studies.

Purpose and Background

35 years ago Chicago and then New York city enacted the nation's first laws requiring periodic examinations of building facades. These laws, commonly known as façade ordinances, were developed in response to numerous injuries, fatalities, and near-misses from falling façade elements, most commonly masonry. Over the past 15 years, several other cities have passed similar façade inspection requirements, and New York and Chicago have refined and revised their own. Consistent and effective façade assessments depend on the training and skill of the inspector or inspection team, most often led by an architect or engineer.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Municipal Facade Ordinances Requirements 
• Facade Examination (Visual and Hands-On) 
• Destructive Evaluation/Inspection Openings 
• Nondestructive Evaluation 
• Water Infiltration Testing 
• Building Inspection Access Issues 
• Facade Distress Classification
• Emergency/Urgent Repairs 
• Full Scale Repair
• Case Studies

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify characteristic strengths and vulnerabilities of various historic and contemporary façade types
  
• Recognize mandated municipal facade ordinance inspection and reporting requirements
• Diagnose and classify common facade distress conditions
• Explore general strategies and approaches

Webinar Benefits

• Understand the latest requirements of mandated facade critical examination municipal ordinances
• Discuss facade critical exam reporting requirements
• Study challenges and safety issues related to inspection access

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

• Architects
• Engineers
• Property Managers
• Insurance Claim Adjusters
• City Planners
• Building Owners

Webinar Outline

• Historic and pathology of building facades
• Overview of municipal facade ordinances and requirements
• Visual examination and non-destructive examination
• Water intrusion diagnosis and testing
• Destructive Evaluation/Inspection Openings
• Façade Distress Types, Classification and Causes
• Report Requirements
• Interim repairs and stabilization
• Long-term repairs and restoration
• Case Studies

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]