The Facade Repair of the Harris County Administration Building

Project Description

The Harris County Administration Building is a 10-story office building located in downtown Houston, Texas. It opened in 1978 and is the central facility for the local government employees and agencies of Harris County and its 4 million residents. Construction deficiencies allowed the elements of weather and time to deteriorate the structure overall. The entire building was in need of a comprehensive restoration.

Comprehensive Restoration

The building required epoxy injection, concrete repairs, carbon fiber strengthening, waterproofing, and post-tensioned repairs. The entire exposed facade of 180,000 ft² was grinded as part of the surface preparation requirements. Over 12,000 feet of cracks were identified and epoxy injected, and over 50,000 square feet of carbon fiber was applied.

Unforeseen Conditions

Early on in the project, unforeseen damage was revealed, such as crack injection grew from 400 feet to 12,000. The schedule did not allow for additional time due to the high-traffic public facility. Work sequencing was key to expediting the schedule. Additionally, there was record rainfall during the project. SCS utilized rain days to fabricate materials in the basement for application after the rain and incorporated night work as necessary. Despite all these obstacles, SCS managed to finish the project in the originally scheduled 12 months. Teamwork was key to this project.