9900 Main Street Balcony and Railing Repairs

The concrete metal deck balconies at each level of the Van Metre Headquarters building included precast concrete panels which were exhibiting extensive cracking, corrosion-related deterioration, and spalling. A condition assessment of the precast panels, elevated balcony slabs, and railings was completed, and various repair options were presented. One option was to maintain the existing panels, conduct isolated repairs throughout, and coat the panels with a new architectural coating. A second option included the full removal of the existing precast panels and the installation of new architectural cladding and railings. After careful consideration and cost analysis, Van Metre ultimately decided to have the panels removed and replaced with new fiber cement cladding, new aluminum railings, and a new traffic coating membrane.

Multiple renderings of the building were created to determine the best aesthetic configuration and color of the fiber cement panels and railings. The design of new light gauge structural framing, steel angles, and other structural elements that would support the new fiber cement panels and allow for the installation of deck-mounted aluminum railings was developed. The design included extensive fieldwork to verify as-built conditions, dimensions, and configurations of the existing framing, which would allow for a proper design with ample tolerances between the new work and existing elements.