Deteriorating pipes found right below the surface of the terraces at Village House.
One of RAND's recent projects was supposed to be a routine roofing replacement job, until contractors discovered sand where there should have been concrete.
Village House, a 75-unit, 14-story Greenwich Village condominium located at 60 West 13th street and built in 1967, had a history of leaks around its two wraparound terrace spaces on the 12th floor and penthouse levels. According to longtime board president Carol Butler, the terrace areas had deteriorated and water was leaking into the units.
The board contacted RAND to perform an evaluation. After an initial probe, it appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. A plan was made to put a new waterproofing system under the terrace setbacks where the old system was. The condominium hired Avarga Contractors to perform the construction work.
Village House: Condominium roof replacement project with a big surprise.
However, once Avarga workers began demolition, we encountered a surprise. The concrete under the terrace flooring on top of the setback looked very sandy. We realized that the sandy concrete was only a very thin layer. What was initially thought to be the concrete slab was a very thin layer of crumbling, sandy concrete, and directly beneath that was a one-foot deep layer of sand and gravel.
Upon further inspection, we discovered deteriorating pipes embedded in the sand and gravel that turned out to be plumbing lines that fed the heating and air-conditioning system. "They were almost 50-year-old pipes," Butler said, "and they seemed to be quite deteriorated.”
After taking into account the presence of the plumbing, we developed a new sensible and cost-effective roofing replacement concept. Another contractor, RVM Plumbing, was brought in to remove and replace the piping and add more insulation materials around the new pipes. Once the plumbing was replaced, pavers and drains were installed.
Also closely involved in this project was RAND project associate Yessica Marinez and manager Jeffrey Lamb of J&C Lamb Management. Far from routine, the challenging project turned out to be successful in a very interesting way.
For more on this project, see the article in Habitat magazine.
Michael Larkin, PE is a Senior Structural Engineer and partner at RAND.
