2021
Oakland, California
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Located on 1814 Franklin Street in downtown Oakland, The Leamington is a Spanish style high-rise that was built to showcase modern design ideas in hotel construction. In 2017, an engineering consultant was hired to perform a condition survey of the building's facade and windows, which found spalling and deterioration of the decorative building elements as well as spalling of the building facade. In 2019, the consultant prepared repair documents for the observed conditions which included the following:
- Spall repairs of the cast-in-place concrete
- Spall repairs of decorative carvings and finials
- Coating and putty repairs of the building's original steel windows
- Sealant replacement
- Installation of a new elastomeric coating to waterproof the building concrete walls and decorative building elements
- Repairs at the "window's walk" cast steel balconies at the top floor of the building
The planning and execution of a repair project at this scale required attention to historical detail and time to prepare proper repair techniques. Coordination efforts between the consultant, contractor, and material manufacturer played an essential role in finalizing an outcome that both the building ownership and the City of Oakland can be proud of. The Leamington building, will remain a historic landmark in the city for years to come.
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
Ensuring that the correct materials are chosen for any repair application can make the restoration process streamlined and efficient. Considerations for substrate quality, amount of preparation work required, and desired cosmetic outcome are accounted for when restoring this historic high-rise. The level of detail needed for the ornamental elements required a mixed palette of repair solutions that would ultimately extend the service life of the building. A low shrinkage concrete repair mortar was utilized for most of the wall patching, windowsill, and cast stone ornamental element restoration. The repair mortar contained a corrosion inhibitor which is crucial in a repair that had issues with water leageage causing corroding steel reinforcement. The flexibility of the material allowed its usage for various repairs on the project allowing ease of use utilizing only one product for mutliple detailed applications.