Boys Town Headquarters

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

Client:
Boys Town

Schemmer was contracted to prepare the construction documents for the repair and upgrade of the exterior walls and foundation waterproofing of the Boys Town National Headquarters Building. The design of the repairs incorporated a new water drainage Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) over the existing wall system. This treatment allowed the building to be aesthetically improved and unify the appearance of the complex. To protect the wall system at grade from lawn mowing and snow removal, the design included a precast concrete ‘bumper system’ and landscaped areas developed by the client.

Many of the numerous masonry wall areas displayed signs of moisture infiltration through the presence of joint cracks and in some cases significant joint deterioration. These conditions were required to be either tuckpointed by removing the deteriorated mortar and replacing the displaced material with new mortar or the concrete blocks being replaced with sound material. Following these repairs, the entire wall surface was covered with the EIFS system with a highlighted color scheme. In addition to repairing the exterior walls above grade, the project included the excavation of the foundation walls to receive a Bentonite composite sheet waterproofing material. The excavation depth varied from 4 feet to over 12 feet in several areas. This system encapsulates the foundation and prevents ground water and surface drainage to infiltrate the basement walls.