This large commercial retail client recognized it had safety and cosmetic appearance issues with architectural stone veneer falling off of numerous stores across the country. The client needed data and information to determine how widespread the problem was, along with an analysis of why the failures were occurring.
Our client required immediate inspection and final reports submitted within eight weeks of the Notice to Proceed. Covering 72 stores in nine different states, Kleinfelder quickly mobilized a large workforce to perform field inspections, as well as senior staff to prepare and review the final reports. Because there are no inspection methods yet published for this work and a limited number of people who had related experience, testing and inspection protocol had to be quickly established and refined.
To ensure consistency, Kleinfelder held training calls and webinars with our inspectors and the client to coordinate and standardize procedures and field activities. Field teams uploaded inspection data and photographs electronically to a central location, enabling senior staff to efficiently analyze incoming data and prepare reports. After a comprehensive review, final reports were uploaded directly into our client’s online database for immediate use and dissemination.
Our inspections identified that a large number of stores were experiencing veneer failures, with approximately 10 percent creating potentially serious safety concerns. We determined these failures resulted from inadequate installation, and we helped develop improvements in our client’s building specifications to correct the problems. All of this led to the development of a better-defined testing and inspection protocol—and ultimately a reduction in safety risk to its customers nationwide.
Location:
9 States (CA, CO, FL, GA, MO, NV, OK, OR, and TX)
Owner:
National Commercial Retailer
