Sunny Isles Beach, FL: Condo HVAC Riser Main Failure

THE PROBLEM

Un magnifique condominium en bord de mer situé à Sunny Isles Beach, en Floride, abrite des appartements de luxe d'un million de dollars, un grand hall avec des sols en marbre, des restaurants raffinés et de grands ascenseurs vitrés. Les résidents ici ont des goûts et des attentes haut de gamme. Une colonne montante principale du système CVC s'est rompue, touchant environ les 15 parties communes, les 46 unités et les 2 cages d'escalier. Le gestionnaire de l'immeuble a expliqué qu'il était important d'éviter de déplacer les locataires de l'immeuble et de minimiser leurs désagréments. Les revêtements muraux ornés, les moulures sur mesure et le marbre fin devaient être sauvés et restaurés dans leur état d'origine. Les systèmes électriques et mécaniques devaient rester opérationnels. Après une évaluation des dommages, il est rapidement devenu clair pour la gestion de projet de FIRST ONSITE que le plus grand défi serait les cages d'escalier.

• Both stairwells were impacted and were the only means of emergency egress.
• The stairwell walls were constructed with multiple layers of gypsum wallboard (GWB).
• Residents would use the stairwells regularly, thus interfering with the drying chamber.
• Cost associated with replacing the wall assemblies would be exorbitant.

“Thanks for your services and professionalism. You and your crew did an amazing job.”
― Katya Legott, LCAM, Project Manager

THE SOLUTION

FIRST ONSITE designed a new drying strategy for the stairwells. It required expert around-the-clock teams and over 10,000 CFM’s of desiccant dehumidification. FIRST ONSITE Project Managers worked closely with Property Management and local building officials to ensure that the building occupants still had a means of emergency egress.

After installing two 5,000 CFM desiccant dehumidifiers (one for each stairwell), crews began to perforate the walls to allow for inner wall ventilation. Air movers were positioned in all landings, where the largest floor space existed, to eliminate tripping and falling hazards. Lay flat ducting was installed by suspending it in an upward spiral over the heads of patrons to avoid any visibility restraints. FIRST ONSITE teams identified moisture impacted materials on each level using infrared thermography and perforated holes into lay flat to allow for directional airflow to impacted materials.

In less than 7 days, the Industrial Hygienist certified the property dry and free of excess moisture that would pose any microbial risks. Most importantly, not one person had to leave their home for even a single day. Mitigation cost savings are estimated to be over $500,000 for the stairwell alone.