A jewel of the South Florida arts and cultural community since 1926, the landmark Olympia Theater and Apartment Building at the Maurice Gusman Cultural Center in Miami has recently been rescued from a state of massive deterioration and disrepair. An initial $2.1 million emergency stabilization phase is complete, and the building is now safe. Phase II work, a $10 million restoration of the theater façade and repair/replacement of the damaged terra cotta tile, will be completed this year.
The historic 10-story high-rise complex was facing an asphalt fate as potential tear-down/rebuild would be required if an emergency and long-term repair solution wasn’t developed to address the pressing structural and safety issues that existed with the exterior brick masonry cladding and terra cotta façade.
The restoration effort by the City of Miami and the Miami Parking Authority, which runs the theater, began with enlisting R.J. Heisenbottle Architects P.A. (RJHA) of Coral Gables, Fla., to head the project. Structural engineers from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE) of Northbrook, Ill., conducted the initial onsite assessment that resulted in saving the building.
WJE collaborated with masonry repair reinforcement system manufacturer Helifix Inc. of Streetsboro, Ohio, to provide a supplementary and sustainable lateral and gravity support system for the building’s distressed veneer using its Helibeam System.
Known for the intricate Mediterranean Revival style details on its architectural facade, the building is comprised of a steel-framed structure with clay tile infill supported on the steel spandrel beams. The envelope consisted of brick and terra cotta veneer that was unsupported within the piers and supported over the punched window openings by steel lintels anchored to the spandrel beams.
WJE engineers discovered that slippage of the brick veneer led to cracked, bulging and separating masonry. This was a direct result of insufficient vertical support and poor weight distribution; resulting in failed wall ties and lintels – often the only means of support above the windows.
Due to the differential support conditions and the 10-story heights of unsupported veneer, widespread distress attributable to improper gravity support was observed including: diagonal brick cracking originating from the lintel ends, compressive failures within the second and third floor terra cotta water tables, delaminated faces of the water table projecting elements, and bowed displacement of the veneer in excess of two inches.
To restore the Olympia’s severely damaged sections back to a historic and maintainable condition, various areas of the building would need to be taken down and rebuilt, particularly at the building’s corners. Additionally, due to the inadequate gravity support and subsequent damage, WJE recommend installing a new support system for the exterior veneer.
In seeking a solution to secure the existing masonry, while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the historic building, WJE specified Helifix’s new Helibeam System, which offered a non-invasive and sustainable solution comprised of HeliBars, HeliBond, DryFix remedial ties, and Crack Stitching.
In conjunction with Helifix’s onsite quality control and assurance support team, installation of the Helibeam System was conducted by specialty repair contracting company STRUCTURAL of Hanover, Md., and its Ft. Lauderdale office.
To form the Helibeam System, two horizontal rows of 7-meter long stainless steel HeliBars were laid in tandem at various levels around the entire circumference of the building. This essentially creates a deep masonry beam to distribute the structural load and provide gravitational support around the entire building.
Installation involved cutting out 1¾-inch deep slots in the mortar joints, which were vacuumed and then flushed with water. A bead of thixotropic cementitious HeliBond grout was laid in and the 7 meter length of HeliBar was then placed in the slot. The grout-HeliBar-grout process was then repeated on top to complete the composite action of the Helibeam System. When each length of HeliBar came to its end, the next length was overlapped by 1.5 feet to create one monolithic run around the building; with corners kinked in at a 90-degree bend. The recessed Helibeam was then pointed over the top – rendering it virtually transparent to the naked eye upon completion.
Additionally, DryFix remedial ties were used in tandem with Helibeam System for lateral restraint in the façade. The DryFix ties were installed simply by being power-driven into position, via a small pilot hole, using a special installation tool that leaves the end of the tie recessed below the outer face allowing an ‘invisible’ finish.
According to STRUCTURAL’S Project Manager Alan Fleischer, “The Helibeam installation was easy because it’s a lot like crack stitching but in a longer run. After we completed the installation, you’d never know what was done to the building.”
An alternative to complete structural tear down and rebuild, the system delivered an efficient green solution in restoring the historic Olympia Theater, which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984. CM