2. 1636 Lincoln Way West_COA 2022-0404 - Structural Assessment

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56 SOUTH LASALLE STREET, SUITE 102 AURORA, ILLINOIS 60505 TEL 855.822.1966 ROOF: 1. The aerial imagery revealed the roof system was in poor to very poor condition with select areas exhibiting structurally hazardous conditions. Review of the imagery revealed significant portions of the roof system had either collapsed or have completely disintegrated over time due to lack of maintenance and exposure to the elements. Other areas of the roof exhibit significant levels of membrane deterioration, and one section along the northern three-story portion exhibited significant levels of ponding water. Ponding water can lead to progressively larger deflections increasing the depth of the ponding and therefore the loads on the members. This can eventually result in the failure and collapse of the supporting roof structure. 2. The missing and deteriorated sections of the roof system, multiple missing windows and broken window panes have exposed the wood floor structures to the elements for several years (aerial imagery shows compromised roof areas dating back to 2016). This level of exposure will significantly reduce the underlying floor systems structural integrity over time. Based on the number of openings in the roof system, we anticipate several floor areas in the building are no longer safe to walk on. 3. This level of roof and floor deterioration also adversely affects the stability and integrity of the structure as a whole. Intact roof and floor systems are required to brace interior and exterior wall systems and are key components in a structure’s ability to sustain wind loads and translate those wind loads safely through the structure to the ground. The large areas of missing and deteriorated roof and floor systems in this building, interrupt critical load paths and reduce the bracing of the exterior and interior walls, making them unstable and susceptible to collapse. BUILDING FAÇADE: 1. The building façade was in overall poor to very poor condition with select areas exhibiting structurally hazardous conditions. The large area of missing and collapsed brick veneer on the upper west corner of the south elevation appears to have been dislodged from the building due to a poorly executed repair. Older masonry construction utilized lime based mortars to allow the wall to drain any moisture that would penetrate in through the pores in brick. A common error made when performing repairs on old masonry wall systems is to use a modern cementitious based mortar. This mortar is dense and does not allow moisture to penetrate and work its way out of the wall system effectively trapping any moisture in the wall. This moisture will freeze and expand during the winter months