A 1964 building used as graduate student housing with childcare facilities was scheduled for a major façade rehabilitation due to its deteriorating concrete exterior. During the planning stages of the project, concerns were raised that PCBs might be present in caulking, and Woodard & Curran was hired to perform building surveys and due diligence. This revealed PCBs in the caulking, adjacent building materials, and site soils. We planned and implemented a remediation program that integrated with the restoration work to protect workers and residents, reduce delays, and keep costs under control.
ASSESSING AND MINIMIZING RISKS
Because the building includes graduate student family housing and two child care facilities, we conducted a building specific risk evaluation to ensure that the planned project kept residents and employees in the building safe while the restoration was completed. The project was planned for three one year phases, so interim measures were conducted to ensure stabilized conditions until the work was completed.
CAREFUL PLANNING AVOIDS DELAYS
Working with the project design team and building envelope engineer, the results of our characterization and risk assessment work indicated that after proper disposal of the exterior caulking, an encapsulating coating procedure consistent with the planned waterproofing work would meet the requirements for a risk-based encapsulation approach to the façade remediation. This plan required no major changes to the original project scope or schedule.
Woodard & Curran also performed all on-site monitoring and inspection activities related to the PCB components of the work, which including dust monitoring, verification sampling, and project documentation.