Western Specialty Contractors – Cleveland Branch recently installed a concrete equipment pad to support Tap Packaging + Design’s newest printing machine.
The industrial printing facility has been based in the Cleveland area for nearly 120 years. Located in a 208,000-square-foot modern production facility, Tap offers a variety of equipment and services from graphic and structural design to printing, converting, inventory management and fulfillment.
Western contracted with Tap in August 2022 to install the 13 ft. wide x 33 ft. long, two-foot-thick concrete pad, according to engineering specifications, for a large printing machine that prints beer cases and packaging for other consumer products.
Because the plant operates 24 hours a day, Western’s craftsmen utilized an electric mini excavator and other electrical equipment to minimize fumes and noise while digging a trench in the plant’s 5-inch-thick concrete floor for the new pad.
Western’s craftsmen then created a foundation to pour the 5000 psi concrete mix using #6 rebar running both directions every 12 inches, with hook bars at the end of each run to create a pair of rebar mats.
Western completed the project in October 2022, on time and within budget, and plans to install concrete pads at the plant later this year for three additional pieces of machinery.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.
Western Specialty Contractors – Chicago Facades Branch and KBS, one of the largest owners and operators of premier commercial real estate buildings in the nation, are completing the restoration of a curtain wall at Accenture Tower, an award-winning, 1.46-million-square-foot, 42-story Class A office and retail property at 500 West Madison Street in Chicago, Illinois.
The tower, completed in 1987 and formerly known as 500 West Madison, has twice earned The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Award Internationally by The Building Owner and Managers Association. The building, which features numerous top-tier amenities, contains 40 stories of office space and 80,000 square feet of retail space over two levels. Sitting above the Ogilvie Transportation Center, the sixth-busiest railway commuter station/terminal in North America, Accenture Tower has earned a UL Verified Healthy Building verification and is LEED Gold, and WiredScore Gold certified.
KBS contracted Western Specialty Contractors – Chicago Facades Branch in 2021 to complete the restoration of the existing curtain wall at the property. The project, which is expected to continue through 2025, includes removing and replacing the original 35-year-old sealants on the entire 588-foot-tall building’s curtain wall and bridge over Canal Street.
“This restoration demonstrates KBS’ ongoing dedication to delivering the highest-quality amenities at its office properties and highlights its partnerships with service providers like Western Specialty Contractors,” says Luke Hamagiwa, Asset Manager for Accenture Tower and Vice President at KBS. “The curtain wall system will help prevent leaks which is extremely important given the area’s inclement weather.”
According to Debbie Kalck, Branch Manager for Western’s Chicago Facades Branch, a curtain wall system on a building’s façade plays an essential role in protecting the building and its occupants by keeping the weather out while allowing extra natural light deeper into a building’s interior space. Additionally, curtain wall systems play a critical role in the overall building’s design and performance. They must take into account various forms of outside air, water infiltration, wind loading and seismic forces.
Kalck adds that the restoration’s long completion schedule is due to Accenture Tower being equipped with two maintenance house rigs—working platforms attached to the curtain wall’s structural tube members and internal track system that are similar to swing stages and operated remotely. The rigs allow Western’s crews to access approximately 80% of the exterior. The house rigs limit the number of crews able to work on the building at one time and do not provide access to the base of the building or the Canal Street bridge.
Chicago architectural exterior drone commercial building photography 500 W Madison Accenture Tower photos
Areas of Accenture Tower that are not accessible with the house rig or aerial man lift include the 42nd-floor rollback at the center of the south elevation and the lower rollbacks on floors 4-6 and 6-9 of the north elevation. Western determined that the most cost-effective way to perform the work at these locations would be via an extensive rope access/controlled descent.
Western employees performing this work have received Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) training from certified SPRAT evaluators Elevated Safety and are certified as SPRAT Level 1: Rope Access Workers. This training ensures safe work-at-height practices and progresses into the specifics of working on a two-rope system, ascending, descending, transfers, controlled descent devices, and rescue. In addition, workers were trained on anchoring basics, awareness and job hazard analysis. Work is sometimes performed on a Bosun chair if workers cannot position themselves elsewhere to perform the work.
“I am so proud of our crews who continue to take on the most challenging projects and are committed to providing our clients with the most cost-effective solutions to perform those projects safely”
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.
Western Specialty Contractors – Orlando Branch is nearing completion of a year-long project to restore the façade of historic Peck Center in Fernandina Beach, FL. The scope of work, which includes masonry restoration, structural repairs, & waterproofing, is expected to be completed by the end of February 2023.
Peck Center was originally opened by Professor Moses H. Payne in 1885 as a four-room school building for African Americans, named Colored School No. 1. When he passed away in 1888, Professor Peck was promoted to Assistant Principal and worked to develop the high school’s curriculum, with the first senior class graduating from the school in 1891.
Today, Peck Center, which includes an auditorium and gymnasium, is used for different community events, classes and recreational activities. It is also home to several City of Fernandina Beach offices and not-for-profit organizations.
The city of Fernandina Beach contracted with Western to repair and tuckpoint the building’s entire masonry brick and stone exterior, taking care to restore the façade to its original condition. The scope of work includes the following:
Removal and replacement of all mortar joints, approximately 75,000 lineal feet
Cleaning of the brick masonry façade with a mild mortar detergent
Installation of new hot-dipped galvanized window lintels/shelf angles
Treatment of existing corroded lintels/shelf angles with new dual component epoxy primer and urethane top coat
Replacement of damaged/cracked bricks to match the existing color & texture
Removal and replacement of all failed/deteriorated window perimeter sealants
Removal and replacement of all failed/deteriorated vertical control joint sealants
Demolition and replacement of all damaged/cracked horizontal accent stones to match the existing coquina rock finish
The $1.2 million façade restoration project started in January 2022. Walker Consultants has served as the engineer of record for this project
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.
In the Summer/Fall of 2022, Western Specialty Contractors completed a full patio rehabilitation connected to (2) suites on the 15th Floor of Loews Regency Hotels’ New York City location. This prominent hotel, situated on the corner of Park Avenue and 61st Street, was designed by Emery Roth & Sons and built in 1963. Over the years, this hotel has regularly housed celebrities and diplomats from all over the world.
Western was initially brought in to perform a complete facade repair starting back in 2021. While in the middle of this multi-year project, Western was asked to assist in the rehab of the building’s 15th Floor guest patios.
The existing patios were in rough condition. The terracotta pavers were cracked, with biological growth coming up between them. The adjacent privacy fence, comprised of a hodge-podge of failing brick masonry and white vinyl paneling, was past its useful life and an eyesore to the guests.
Western began by removing the existing fence and demolishing the terracotta pavers and underlying roofing to expose the structural concrete deck. From there, repairs to the deck and adjacent concrete curb were performed. Additionally, a new concrete curb was poured so a new divider fence could be installed to separate the two patios.
Once the team had completed all removals and concrete preparation, a new 2-layer torch-down roofing system was installed. Following the torch down, fleece-reinforced liquid flashings completed the waterproofing scope. To complete the rehab, a new custom-fabricated aluminum fencing was installed, along with a new concrete paver system set on pedestals.
The result was a beautifully updated patio to be enjoyed by future guests for years to come.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.
Simple roof housekeeping by a maintenance technician is a task that Western Specialty Contractors’ roofing experts highly recommend on a monthly basis but often gets overlooked.
Western’s experts recommend that a building’s maintenance staff go up on the roof and check for debris at least once a month or after a trade has been working on the roof. Debris on a roof can clog drains, scuppers and downspouts and lead to ponding water that can quickly seep into an open seam or split wall flashing.
Several types of damage-causing debris can be found on rooftops. Poor clean-up by workers who have performed work on a roof and left behind trash and debris, such as caulk tubes or rags, can cause significant problems if not cleaned up. High winds can blow debris around, causing damage to the roof and people and property below if it blows off.
Other debris found on roofs that should be removed include leaves, tree limbs and twigs, goose droppings, fireworks and even bullet shells.
Western’s experts also recommend checking roof HVAC access panels to ensure they are securely in place during routine housekeeping. Access panels removed by a contractor and tossed on a rooftop can puncture roofing materials. Unsecured access panels blown around by high winds can cause further damage.
Most roof manufacturer warranties will consider whether housekeeping was performed on a roof, so it is important to ensure that any potentially damaging debris or trash is regularly removed.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://WesternSpecialtyContractors.com.
