LaRenaissance(Kenesaw) is aseven-storyhiriseconstructed in 1905 and designed by Averill &Stone. The building is a contributing property to the Meridian Hill Historic District and the Mount Pleasant Historic District. At its time, it was constructed as a luxury apartment building in a sparsely developed part of the city. By the 1970s the building had fallen into disrepair due to neglectful ownership. The building was purchased by Antioch College in 1974 but shortly offloaded, eventually selling to its tenants and transforming into a “condo-op” ownership in 1984. The ownership is comprised of 58 market-rate condominiums and 29 collectively owned co-op units aimed at serving economically disadvantaged residents.

Due to limited maintenance over the years, the 3rd FL balconies had fallen into a state of disrepair leading to a balcony failing and crumbling to the street below. With the balconies now becoming a hazard, they needed full removal and reconstruction while conforming to city’s Historic Preservation Review Board requirements. The balconies are strictly an architectural feature, however key to maintaining the building’s character. Twenty-six balconies in total were fully replaced excluding their decorative railings which were removed and reinstalled.

The repair sequence was as follows:
• Scaffolding and temporary protection installation (as the windows were all directly located above windows in the unit below)
• Removal and documentation of existing decorative rod iron railings for shop repairs and powder coating
• Temporary wall bracing installation.
• Removal of balcony precast members and salvage façade masonry below the balcony
• Clean and paint existing steel window header lintel
• Repair and parge coat existing substrate as needed.
• Install new stainless steel support assembly to support precast members
• Install new precast members
• Fill precast members with grout at mounting locations
• Reinstall salvaged façade masonry
• Seal precast joints
• Coat new balcony top surface with urethane pedestrian traffic coating
• Reinstall repaired and coated decorative railing
• Coat existing surrounding façade and new precast with elastomeric coating
• Removal of scaffolding, temporary protection, and landscaping repair

Results & Outcomes
-The existing facade required supplemental bracing to ensure stability as the existing balcony provided support. Removal of the precast and facade also exposed the interiors of the units below requiring temporary waterproofing and interior repairs. The walls were constructed of an exterior masonry façade, multiple wythe backup masonry, and then a plaster and lathe interior which varied in thickness on the building.
-Prior to installing the new precast balcony members, the existing substrate wall needed to be repaired so that the supporting steel for the precast could be mounted. The supporting steel (and precast) had to be installed in two phases. The first phase for the lower supporting corbels/deck pieces and the second phase for the upper supporting deck pieces.
-The precast deck pieces were mounted once the lower corbels were installed/grouted and the upper supporting SS assembly was installed. The precast pieces were positioned utilizing system scaffolding equipped with an electric hoist and handcarts equipped with jacks. Each corbel piece weighed approximately 1,756 lbs. with the lower and upper deck slab sections at 876 lbs. and 544 lbs. respectively (per 4’ section). In total 326 pieces of precast were installed. Once installed, they were grouted in place to the steel through fabricated openings in the precast.
-After the precast pieces were installed, all joints were sealed then railings were installed. The railings were surface mounted on both the precast and façade masonry. To eliminate the possibility of staining our coatings with cuttings and dust from the existing terra cotta masonry, the railings were installed prior to coatings. A urethane coating was installed on the deck side, with elastomeric coatings on the surrounding façade masonry and vertical precast surfaces to ensure longevity and provide a new clean uniform look and complete the project scope. All necessary interior repairs were also completed after the completion of the exterior scope