Just In: Vinton Building collapsing?

[buildingsofdetroit]

It does appear, though, that whomever installed the outer veneer didn't like to use masonry anchors, which are required by Code. When you don't install anchors, you rely strictly on the mortar to hold everything together. Mortar deteriorates and loses integrity over time. Boom.

Or it could be that whomever did the masonry work didn't replace a bad shelf angle, and when it failed, boom. If that's the case, you have to wonder about the state of the shelf angle in the rest of the building.

[Danny]

Sixty-Seven percent of the buildings of Downtown Detroit are made out of bricks, pewbic tiles, sandstones, marbles and assorted rocks. Maintain these structures takes time and lots of money. If those pieces of tiles fall unexpectally to a person could mean lawsuit galore. The best you all can do when walking Downtown Detroit is watch for falling bricks.

[checkraisej]

Sixty-Seven percent of the buildings of Downtown Detroit are made out of bricks, pewbic tiles, sandstones, marbles and assorted rocks. Maintain these structures takes time and lots of money. If those pieces of tiles fall unexpectally to a person could mean lawsuit galore. The best you all can do when walking Downtown Detroit is watch for falling bricks.

How did you arrive at sixty Seven percent? Remember, SHOW YOUR WORK! Otherwise your argument is NON-SEQUITOR!

[East Detroit]

How much is the Vinton Bldg worth now? Maybe I could rehab it.

[Bearinabox]

How did you arrive at sixty Seven percent? Remember, SHOW YOUR WORK! Otherwise your argument is NON-SEQUITOR!

I see what you did there.

[Gannon]

How did you arrive at sixty Seven percent? Remember, SHOW YOUR WORK! Otherwise your argument is NON-SEQUITOR!

My bet is he rounded up from 66.6%.

[Danny]

How did you arrive at sixty Seven percent? Remember, SHOW YOUR WORK! Otherwise your argument is NON-SEQUITOR!

I observe all the structures in Downtown Detroit and compute into my private files. Then I give those files to my Street Prophets and they put it into their XYZ files. It follows. I do my research.

[LodgeDodger]

Sixty-Seven percent of the buildings of Downtown Detroit are made out of bricks, pewbic tiles, sandstones, marbles and assorted rocks. Maintain these structures takes time and lots of money. If those pieces of tiles fall unexpectally to a person could mean lawsuit galore. The best you all can do when walking Downtown Detroit is watch for falling bricks.

Danny, that's Pewabic tile.

[ghettopalmetto]

I have a hard time believing that hydrostatic pressure caused these bricks to fall out of the veneer. For one, hydrostatic pressure doesn't leave neat little rectangles. In other words, why did the brick fail where it did, and not all the way to the corner [[or beyond)? Why not anywhere else at this elevation?

Second, water is going to take the easiest route it can find. If the flashing is poorly detailed, the water will infiltrate into the interior before it can build up enough hydrostatic pressure in the wall cavity to force the outer veneer onto the street.

The answer is in the edge condition, to the left and the right of the area of fallen brick.

[Fnemecek]

Or it could be that whomever did the masonry work didn't replace a bad shelf angle, and when it failed, boom. If that's the case, you have to wonder about the state of the shelf angle in the rest of the building.

I talked w/ some folks who worked on the 2006/07 renovation of the building. Their opinion, is that water infiltration was unlikely.

It's more likely that this was caused by the masonry anchors, which were not replaced. The workers were only contracted to repair/ replace certain problem areas of the facade. That involved removing and replacing problem bricks, but reusing the anchors that ultimately hold those bricks in place.

Those anchors appear to have failed on a rather hot day. The heat normally causes a certain amount of expansion and contraction. Normally, the anchors are strong enough to endure that stress. However, when the anchors are rusted to a certain point, they are no longer able to do so.

[ghettopalmetto]

Fnemecek, I think you're inadvertently contradicted yourself. Masonry anchors tend not to rust in the absence of water.

There is *always* a potential for moisture intrusion through brick masonry. Brick, like concrete and stone, is a porous material and will allow moisture to pass. Every time it rains, you bet your ass that brick will absorb moisture. The rate of moisture penetration depends on the porosity of the material. It's impossible to keep moisture from entering the brick veneer. Building codes address this by requiring flashing and weepholes to guide the moisture out of the wall system. It's important to keep weepholes open and maintain the flashing, which needs to be replaced every 30 years or so, depending on the material used and its condition.

Older buildings can be problematic if regular inspection and maintenance isn't conducted, because the masonry anchors tend to be of a type that can oxidize, lose cross-sectional area, and fracture over time when exposed to the naturally-occurring moisture that is expected in the wall system. Modern masonry anchors tend to be manufactured from stainless steel, or are galvanized, in order to prevent such a problem from occurring. Properly installed, masonry anchors allow for movement of the veneer system to accommodate fluctuations in temperature, as well as differential deflection between the veneer and the structural system of the building.

On top of that, if moisture is trapped in the brick without a means of egress, freeze-thaw cycles are going to wreak havoc, causing fractures in the mortar joints, and possibly the masonry units themselves, which allows still more moisture to enter.

Mortar will also deteriorate over time with exposure to ambient conditions until it becomes little more than sand, so periodic repointing of the mortar joints needs to be conducted in order to prevent loosening falling of the masonry units.