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The prestigious Longfellow complex is located in the heart
of downtown Boston on the Charles River. This project
focused on two 38-story apartment buildings, constructed
between 1970 and 1972. Inspections conducted in 1997 identified
numerous areas of spalls due to corrosion of the steel
reinforcement. More recently, sealant joints at the sliding
glass doors, ac units, and windows were failing and allowing
water to leak into the apartments.
In 2001, inspecting engineers carried out a comprehensive
investigation to determine the extent of damage and the
root cause. Among other things, they determined spalling
had increased by 25% since 1996. Exposed column faces,
balcony edges, and floor slab edges had the least cover
and most spalls. There was chloride contamination, carbonation,
and low cover throughout. Wherever the cover was less
than 2 in. there was high levels of active corrosion.
The goal of the owner and the engineer was to repair the
spalled concrete and leaking joints and to provide long-term
protection to the building.
A repair program was designed to repair the spalls and
leaking joints and protect the building by mitigating
active corrosion. A preview was completed to confirm the
design met the objectives.
The contractor completed the installation using an organized
work plan that was sensitive to the owners scheduling
requirements, provided a comprehensive checklist for installation
and involved an inspection engineer to confirm compliance
with the design documents. Finally, areas of the building
were monitored to confirm effectiveness of the repair
and protection program. All of this resulted in a repair
program that will no doubt provide long-term durability
for this owner.
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