(Spry Centre) – Halifax Nova Scotia
General Description of Construction
The Spry Centre is a building complex owned by the City of Halifax and contains the following connected areas:
1. Swimming Pool Building
2. Main Building (ground floor and second floor containing administrative offices, community services offices, exercise room, reception areas etc.)
3. Library Building
J.W. Cowie Engineering Limited Investigation and Restoration Design for the City of Halifax
Five years after the completion of the building construction, J.W. Cowie Engineering Ltd. (Cowie Engineering) was retained by the City of Halifax to determine the cause of on-going water leakage problems. As a result of the site investigation by Cowie Engineering, it was discovered the timber roof deck of the building containing the swimming pool was in an advanced state of wood rot.
The defective design and construction of the air/vapour barrier applied to the underside of the insulation below the timber roof deck permitted the interior air from the swimming pool area to flow into the roof and wall construction resulting in wood rot and corrosion of the structural steel framing.
An investigation of the other areas throughout the Spry Centre revealed the air/vapour barrier applied to the underside of the insulation below the timber roof decking was damaged in a similar way to the air/vapour barrier below the roof deck of the swimming pool building. To resolve the waterproofing/vapour barrier problems, significant restoration was required throughout all roof and exterior wall areas of the Spry Centre.
The Scope of Restoration Construction
All roof and exterior wall areas of the Spry Centre were restored. Cowie Engineering prepared restoration design drawings and specifications and administrated the construction contracts on behalf of the City of Halifax. Restoration construction was implemented in three sequential phases with fixed price tenders issued for each phase of the restoration construction. The Spry Centre was occupied throughout all phases of restoration construction. The investigation and restoration construction took approximately four years. Three phases of restoration construction were as follows:
Phase I – Swimming Pool Building
Phase II – Central portion of building containing administrative offices, community services etc.
Phase III – Library
In addition to resolving the waterproofing/vapour barrier issues of the library building, the unfinished second floor of the library was finished and new access stairs and an elevator added. The elevator and West stair is housed in the new tower addition located at the Northwest corner of the library.
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01. Original construction (prior to Cowie Engineering investigation and restoration design). Viewing Southwest. To the left of the clock tower is the main entrance area leading to the swimming pool building and the central office area while the entrance to the right of the clock tower leads to the library building as well as the central office area.
02. Viewing South. Shows the library building in the foreground (original construction).
03. North sloping roof of the swimming pool building at the commencement of the Cowie investigation. Viewing Southwest.
04. Example of bulges within the asphalt shingles on the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
05. Asphalt shingles removed in the area of bulges shown in Photograph No. 04. The asphalt impregnated roofing felt was ripped along the joints between the 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) timber roof boards.
06. Roofing felt removed exposing the deteriorated timber roof deck
07. Gaps between the 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) T & G roof boards. Some of the roof boards were in an advanced state of deterioration due to wood rot.
08. Rotten 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) T & G roof board shown in Photograph No. 07.
09. Rotten 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) T & G roof boards, gaps between the roof boards and the butt ends of the roof boards have sprung up and out of plane with the deck surface causing bulges in the asphalt shingled roofing.
10. Deteriorated roof boards with butt ends sprung up and out of plane with the roof deck surface.
11. Example of the butt end of the timber roof deck sprung up and out of plane with the surface of the roof deck.
12. Shows the magnitude of the butt end displacement shown in Photograph No. 11.
13. Butt end joint of roof deck displaced downward as a consequence of the gaps between the T & G boards preventing adequate support from the adjacent deck boards.
14. Shows the magnitude of the gap between adjacent deck boards
15. Example of deteriorated roof deck due to wood rot. Shows the glass fiber batt insulation of the swimming pool roof located directly below the roof deck
16. Close-up of the extent of wood rot to the roof deck shown in Photograph No. 15.
17. Interior view of the swimming pool building at the time of initial construction. Shows the aluminum foiled backed vapour barrier on the underside of the glass fiber batt insulation spanning between the roof joists.
18. Example of failed joint within the vapour barrier backing of the glass fiber batt insulation.
19. Close-up of the failed joint within the vapour barrier backing of the glass fiber batt insulation shown in Photograph No. 18.
20. Another example of the failed joint within the aluminum foil backed vapour barrier of the glass fiber batt insulation spanning between the roof joists and located directly below the timber roof deck.
21. Example of puncture holes through the aluminum foil vapour barrier backing of the batt insulation at the bearing end of the roof joist.
22. Another example of puncture holes in the aluminum foil vapour barrier backing of the glass fiber batt insulation at the bearing end of a roof joist.
23. Commencement of the removal of the 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) timber roof deck from the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building. Shows exposed glass fiber batt insulation directly below the timber roof deck.
24. Example of failed aluminum foil backed vapour barrier at a joint between the strips of glass fiber batt insulation.
25. Removal of the T & G decking from the Eastern end of the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
26. Completion of the removal of the T & G roof decking from the Eastern end of the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
27. Installation of 1 1\/2 in. deep, 22 gauge steel roof deck supported by the open web steel roof joists throughout the expanse of the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
28. Shows the progress of installing the 1 1\/2 in. deep x 22 gauge roof deck, North sloping roof of the swimming pool building. Viewing South.
29. Installation of plywood sheathing on top of the 1 1\/2 in. deep x 22 gauge roof deck, North sloping roof of the swimming pool building. Shows the commencement of the installation of the waterproofing membrane adhered to the surface of the plywood roof sheathing. Viewing South.
30. Pressure treated Southern yellow pine 2 in. x 10 in. (nom.) located at 2 ft. 0 in. centre to centre spanning from the eave to the ridge of the roof, North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
31. 2 in. x 10 in. (nom.) pressure treated (Southern yellow pine, located at 24 in. centre to centre extending from the eaves to the ridges of the swimming pool building. Viewing Northwest.
32. Installed 2 in. x 10 in. (nom.) pressure treated Southern yellow pine located 24 in. centre to centre extending from the eave to the roof ridge, North sloping roof of the swimming pool building. Shows the beginning of the installation of the sprayed-in-place polyurethane foam insulation between the 2 x 10's.
33. Example of installed 2 in. x 10 in. (nom.) timbers anchored to the roof deck and sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation installed between the 2 x 10's.
34. Example of completion of the sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation between the 2 x 10's, North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
35. Plywood roof sheathing installed on top of 2 x 10's throughout the North sloping roof of the swimming pool building.
36. Waterproofing membrane\/vapour barrier installed on the exterior face of the concrete block masonry wall of the swimming pool building. Shows the installation of brick tie anchorages.
37. Waterproofing membrane/vapour barrier installed on the exterior face of the concrete block masonry wall of the swimming pool building. Shows the installation of brick tie anchorage.
38. Sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation on the face of concrete block masonry wall of swimming pool building.
39. Example of sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation on the upper portion of the exterior walls of the swimming pool building.
40. Example of sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation between the timber walls studs of the timber stud wall of the gable end wall of the swimming pool building.
41. Roof restoration of central portion of community centre.
42. 2 in. x 10 in. (nom.) located at 24 in. centre to centre anchored to roof deck of central office area of the community centre. Unlike the swimming pool building, the existing 2 in. x 6 in. (nominal) T & G roof deck remained in place however, stabilized by the installation of the plywood sheathing on top of the 2 in. x 6 in. (nom.) timber roof deck. The waterproofing membrane was installed on top of the plywood roof sheathing
43. Example of sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation being installed on the roof over the central office area.
44. Close-up view of the foamed in place polyurethane insulation as shown in Photograph No. 43.
45. Example of completed sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation on the roof over the central office area.
46. Shows the sprayed in place polyurethane foam insulation completely installed throughout the central office area and ready for the installation of the plywood roof decking. Viewing Northwest.
47. Shows the library roof and exterior wall restoration in progress. Viewing Northwest.
48. The roof and walls of the library building have been completed and the Northwest extension to the building near completion for housing the new elevator and new stair to the newly completed second floor of the library.
49. View of the completed restoration of Phases; I, II and III of the Captain William Spry Community Centre. Viewing Southeast.