Site Inspection Report - Structure Façades

This report focuses on the façade of 30 The Bond Building and The Grace Hotel, outlining the materials, techniques, and maintenance of the facades.

SITE INSPECTION REPORT – STRUCTURE FAÇADES
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

Site Inspection Report – Structure Façades
Executive Summary
The building façade is always visible and it should be function s it was designed and at the
same time to be aesthetically pleasing. This can only be achieved by regular maintenance of
the facades. The maintenance will eliminate water intrusion and at the same time it can lead
to severe destruction of to all façade components. The façade deterioration can greatly
damage the structure and the appearance of the structure playing a very significant role in the
safety of the structure. The facades are very important elements of a building as they perform
many function s such as ; maintaining the comfort of the occupants, providing security,
controlling the flow of air within the structure, controlling fire, to provide privacy for the
occupants, control heat flow and controlling light and other forms of radiant energy such as
sunlight and glare. This report will focus on outlining the façade of 30 The Bond Building,
located in 30 Hickson Road, Millers Point and The Grace Hotel which is located in 77 York
St, Sydney CBD.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
2.0 SITE A: 30 THE BOND......................................................................................................4
2.1 How waterproofness and wind exclusion is achieved..........................................................4
2.2 Materials and techniques used for facade waterproofing and wind expulsion....................5
2.21 Sealants..............................................................................................................................5
2.22 Application of stepped-insulated glass units......................................................................5
2.23 Use of wind protection elements........................................................................................5
2.3 Installation of the glass façade in 30 The Bond Building....................................................6
2.4 How the façade is maintained/ cleaned................................................................................8
2.5 How the entrance doors are installed and exclusion in glass façade....................................8
3.0 SITE B: THE GRACE HOTEL...........................................................................................8
3.1 How waterproofness and wind exclusion is achieved in The Grace Hotel..........................9
3.2 How the façade was constructed..........................................................................................9
3.3 How the façade is maintained............................................................................................10
3.4 How the entrance doors are installed and exclusion in glass façade..................................10
4.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................10
5.0 References..........................................................................................................................12
Appendix..................................................................................................................................13

1.0 Introduction
Building façade refers to the design feature which its main purpose is to exclude, reduce or
limit the undesirable whether elements such as, wind, water, snow, sun, cold, heat or dust
or a combination of the same within a structure. The facades have any function such as;
maintaining the comfort of the occupants, providing security, controlling the flow of air
within the structure, controlling fire, to provide privacy for the occupants, control heat flow
and controlling light and other forms of radiant energy such as sunlight and glare (David
Highfield, 2017, p. 463). There are different types of cladding system materials used in the
facade and they include; bricks, glass, stones, precast concrete and metals. The building
façade is always visible and it should be function s it was designed and at the same time to be
aesthetically pleasing. This can only be achieved by regular maintenance of the facades. The
maintenance will eliminate water intrusion and at the same time it can lead to severe
destruction of to all façade components (Patterson, 2012, p. 76).
Damaged and deteriorated structural facades are very serious public safety concern .Once the
façade element fails, there is a high possibility that the component will fall, hence putting the
people and properties at risk. The façade deterioration can greatly damage the structure and
the appearance of the structure playing a very significant role in the safety of the structure.
This report will focus on outlining the façade of 30 The Bond Building, located in 30
Hickson Road, Millers Point and The Grace Hotel which is located in 77 York St, Sydney
CBD.
2.0 Site A: 30 The Bond
Located in 30 Hickson road, Miller point. The 30 bond building is Australia’s first building
completed with a 5 star rating under the Green Building Council of Australia’s pilot Green
Star rating system. The building is made up of eight office levels with an average net lettable

area of approximately 2000m² per level, a smaller 216m² ninth office level, ground floor
retail and two basement levels. It is a 100m long building facing due west. The entire façade
is made up of steel skeleton which is covered with large glass panels. The west, south and
north facades are having operational external venetian blind systems which act as solar
shading elements.
2.1 How waterproofness and wind exclusion is achieved
The waterproofing measures in this building are implemented to maintain the facades so that
they can remain to be water tight. Mostly water or moisture enters the facades through
penetrations such as doors, windows and through walls (Bárbara Rangel, 2015, p. 126). For
this project appropriates products and proper installation techniques were the two items that
led to the successful implementation of the waterproofing procedures on all the facades.
Before the installation of the glass panels there were a lot of preparations that were done to
ensure that the highest level of waterproofing was achieved. Some of the preparations that
were carried out include; clearing of the steel skeleton and the masonry walls in order to
remove all dirt, mildew, debris and other contaminants. All the chemicals that are mixed with
water and the water pressure should adhere to the standard specifications in order to eliminate
the possibility of destroying the existing components. After all the foreign materials were
removed a through rinsing of the surface with clean water was required to ensure that the
waterproofing products and sealants adhered correctly to the steel skeleton (Gorse, 2015, p.
254).

2.2 Materials and techniques used for facade waterproofing and wind expulsion
2.21 Sealants
In 30 the bond, silicon glue was used as sealant and bond for glass, the silicon sealant has a
strong binding properties and its water-resistance properties made it to be deal construction of
the glass façade (Aksamija, 2018, p. 189).
2.22 Application of stepped-insulated glass units
The load bearing bonding connections to the metal frame structure is on the large external
glass pane. For this to be perform as it was intended in the design , the bonding connection
was dimensioned correctly in order to meet the environmental requires such as water
tightness, UV resistance and wind expulsion (Knaack, 2015, p. 32)
2.23 Use of wind protection elements
30 The Bond building has made application of wind expulsion elements which protect the
glass façade from the direct wind which can lead to damages to glass. The wind expulsion
element also are acting as the solar shading elements which protects the occupants of the
building from direct sunlight and at the same time the street users from the glare which
might be produced at the glass facades (Aksamija, 2018, p. 438).
2.3 Installation of the glass façade in 30 The Bond Building
The installation of the glass façade involves the following sequence or activities.
i) Establishment of the control lines
The team which was involved with the construction of the glass faced had to find out from
the main contractor exactly where the curtain wall should go.
ii) Layout

The main purpose of the layout was to determine the exact wall placement by the use of
offset lines and the finished floor levels which are developed from the control lines that
were established earlier on. The procedure had to be checked and double checked by more
than one person .The glass facade is a one continues plane around the 30 The Bond
Building .All the floors in this building have adequate amount of room for the purpose of
attaching the anchors. Even though the floors were not perfectly level (Gauzin-Müller, 2012,
p. 498).
iii) Installation of the anchor plates
One of the most significant stage of the construction of the glass faced was the placement of
the anchors that were used. The anchor plates were bolted, welded or casted into the building
structure. The type of the anchors that were used greatly depended on the type of the wall and
the load considerations of the glass facades. Majority of the steel beams in this building have
the anchors bolted or welded on the structural beams.
iv) Checking of materials
The materials arrived on site during the process. All the arrangements were made with the
contractor before the arrival of the materials regarding the material storage and regarding all
the materials that were to be hoisted to the appropriate floors. Majority of the steel elements
were positioned on the proper floor as they were offloaded from the trucks. This was due to
their weight (Gorse, 2015, p. 6).Proper positioning of the materials greatly assisted in cutting
down the cost of handling materials and at the same time they greatly assisted in reducing the
amount of damages that was done on the materials.
v) Erection of the mullions
The vertical steel members are referred to as mullions, they were the first member of the
facade that were installed. they were positioned accurately , they were about 20 feet to 25

feet and they were joined by stacking one on top of the other . The splice sleeves were used
in joining the mullions together. The mullions were semi lumbered and they were placed on
a plane, and all the anchors were fastened but they were not tightened all the way (Karney,
2018, p. 43).
vi) Installing the horizontals
After all the vertical mullions were erected safely, the horizontal members were installed.
The manufacturer’s instructions were carefully followed because the horizontal members
were anchored in many ways such as; brackets, clips or screw spline. At this stage some of
the areas in the façade were to be sealed.
vii) Sealing the corners
Where the wall was meeting a corner or a jamb, pre-packaged flashing and sealing units were
supplied by the manufacturer and they were used or followed.
viii) Glazing the wall
Different techniques were used to glaze the façade. the framing members were
accommodating ¼ an inch gals and the spandrels to 1 inch insulating glass units or the
limited glass products. Generally, these type was using the pressure type system. In this
system, the glazing retainers and the caps were removed from the outside of the structure.
The application of the scaffolding or the suspended scaffolding was necessary in installing
the glass in this situation.
ix) Trimming
Once the faced was completed, the exterior glazing caps and the final sealants were applied
and installed. The interior wall only required the installation of the drywall caps and retainers.

2.4 How the façade is maintained/ cleaned
The façade is usually cleaned by the window washers, who usually use the gondola lift which
is supported and propelled by cables from the 30 The Bond Building roof. The washers
manually wash the glass facades without using any machine (Gorse, 2015, p. 65).
2.5 How the entrance doors are installed and exclusion in glass façade
The entrance door in this building is installed normally just as any other glass door but it is
excluded from the rest of the faced by the use of a glass canopy which is constructed over it.
The glass canopy provides an attractive and a practical feature to the building it is placed
outside the entrance door and it protects people entering the building, allows natural light
through the entrance area and keeps the weather elements away.
3.0 SITE B: THE GRACE HOTEL
Located in York St, Sydney CBD, The Grace Hotel is a fine example of commercial Gothic,
with a soaring vertical emphasis and prominent "Gothic" corner tower, complete with flying
buttresses, pointed windows and quatrefoils. Sheathed in glazed cream terra cotta, details are
picked out in green. Decoration is limited, skyscraper fashion, to the summit and lower
portion of the building. The street level facade has been altered, but the facade above
the awning remains intact.
3.1 How waterproofness and wind exclusion is achieved in The Grace Hotel
The façade of The Grace Hotel is designed in a way to ensure that the facades are
waterproof .Various materials and techniques were used to ensure that the most efficient level
of waterproofness was achieved. Some of the techniques that were used include;
i) The use of waterproof tiles.

All the faces of this building are cladded with waterproof tiles which makes it impossible for
water to penetrate into the walls and find its way into the building. The waterproof tiles were
bonded to the masonry wall by the use of cement and they were tightly sealed to each other
by the use of sealants (Patterson, 2012, p. 642).
ii) Use of solar and wind shading elements.
Different types of solar and wind elements are used in this building to ensure that the
occupants are affected by the direct sunlight and at the same time the street users are also not
affected by the glare coming from the glass window. Some of the elements which were
constructed to shade the direct sunlight and expel wind include the vertical elements which
are constructed next to the windows help in shading the sunlight rays from entering into the
space directly (David Highfield, 2017, p. 83).
3.2 How the façade was constructed
The façade is made up of stone (masonry), glass and tiles. The stone masonry is the main
material used for the construction of the structural wall while the tiles are used for the
cladding purposes. Glass on this façade appears mainly on the windows and other of opening.
The masonry skeleton was first constructed, then the steel window frames were installed then
the glazing of the windows was done. The tiles were the cladding material which was to
cover the masonry wall for the aesthetic purposes.
3.3 How the façade is maintained
For any given building to perform efficiently , it is very important for the management team
to carry out a regular maintenance checks on the entire building .This can involve the
regular scheduled washing of the building where elements such as sealant, gaskets, and
glazing can be reviewed (Bárbara Rangel, 2015, p. 32). For The Grace Hotel building it is
cleaned by the by the window washers, who usually use the gondola lift which is supported

and propelled by cables from Building roof. The washers manually wash the glass facades
without using any machine.
Also the tiles which have peeled off are replaced with other tiles at a regular basis in order to
ensure that the appearance of the building is maintained (Knaack, 2015, p. 4).
3.4 How the entrance doors are installed and exclusion in glass façade
The entrance of The Grace Hotel is installed normally in the masonry wall just like any other
door. The Entrance is defined and excluded from the rest of the faced by the use of a glass
canopy which is constructed over it. The glass canopy provides an attractive and a practical
feature to the building it is placed outside the entrance door and it protects people entering the
building, allows natural light through the entrance area and keeps the weather elements away.
Below is an image show how the entrance is defined (David Highfield, 2017, p. 52).
4.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, all buildings have a façade and it is the barrier between a storage or living
space and the outside space. The facades are very important elements of a building as they
perform many function s such as ; maintaining the comfort of the occupants, providing
security, controlling the flow of air within the structure, controlling fire, to provide privacy
for the occupants, control heat flow and controlling light and other forms of radiant energy
such as sunlight and glare. Many measures are being put in place to ensure that the building
facades remain in a water tight condition. Moisture enters the facades at the penetrations,
such as doors and through walls .Lack of maintenance on the walls and facades will lead to
penetration of water through the cementations material and eventually penetrate inside the
building (Aksamija, 2018, p. 673).
This report used two building to outline their facades, the two building that were investigated
are; the 30The Bond building which is in 30 Hickson road, Miller point and it is Australia’s

first building completed with a 5 star rating under the Green Building Council of Australia’s
pilot Green Star rating system. The Grace Hotel which located in in York St, Sydney CBD
and is a fine example of commercial Gothic, with a soaring vertical emphasis and prominent
"Gothic" corner tower, complete with flying buttresses, pointed windows and quatrefoils.
Sheathed in glazed cream terra cotta, details are picked out in green. Decoration is limited,
skyscraper fashion, to the summit and lower portion of the building.
5.0 References

Aksamija, A., 2018. Sustainable Facades: Design Methods for High-Performance Building
Envelopes. 3rd ed. Berlin: John Wiley & Sons.
Bárbara Rangel, 2015. The Pre-Fabrication of Building Facades. 3rd ed. Texas: Springer.
David Highfield, 2017. Refurbishment and Upgrading of Buildings. 3rd ed. London:
Routledge,.
Gauzin-Müller, D., 2012. Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism: Concepts, Technologies,
Examples. 7th ed. Kiev: Springer Science & Business Media.
Gorse, C., 2015. The Construction of New Buildings Behind Historic Facades. Paris:
Routledge4th.
Karney, J., 2018. Introduction to Business Architecture. 2nd ed. London: Cengage Learning,.
Knaack, U., 2015. Imagine No. 01: Facades. 5th ed. Sydnay: 010 Publishers.
Patterson, M., 2012. Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures. 1st ed. Chicago: John Wiley
& Sons.

Appendix
Figure 1: the grace hotel East side Figure 2: replacement tiles
Figure 3: replacement tiles Figure 4: surface soiling, biocide
leaching

Figure 5: Bronze water drop pipe
and Glass window.
Figure 6: The grace hotel North side
Figure 7: replacement tiles Figure 8: The grace hotel West side

Figure 9: 30 The Bond South side
Figure 10: Glass wall and steel
structure connection
Figure 11: 30 The Bond East side Figure 12: 30 The bond North side

Figure 13: 30 The Bond West side. Sun and wind protection.
Figure 14: 30 The Bond rough drawing

Fig:15: stepped-insulated glass units

Fig 16: window washers using gondola lift
Fig 17: 30 The Bond entrance door