The Hotel Georgia is a Vancouver landmark. The 12-story building opened in 1927 and since then has hosted royalty and scoundrels—and a host of famous entertainers. The hotel is registered as a protected heritage property by the City of Vancouver. It is currently undergoing a major renovation with the intent of reopening as a five-star hotel. The concrete-framed building is clad with a brick veneer and precast elements over backup walls of laid-up terra-cotta blocks. The brick is supported on shelf angles and tied back with irregularly spaced strap anchors (in a severe seismic zone!). Most windows were wood-framed, double-hung units. The team overseeing the renovation of the building envelope had to consider many issues, including
- providing seismic competence,
- addressing brick displacement caused by corrosion jacking at shelf angles,
- providing thermal and acoustic comfort appropriate for a five-star hotel,
- providing appropriate protection against water penetration in Vancouver’s maritime climate,
- maintaining heritage character and fabric, and
- controlling costs.
Key features of the renewal design included
- installation of structural framing inside the existing walls and tying the brick through the terra-cotta block to the frame;
- replacement of about a quarter of the shelf angles without wholesale brick removal;
- use of spray-applied urethane foam to the inside of the existing wall to control the flow of heat, air, vapor, and moisture;
- replacement of guest room windows with wood-framed, double-glazed, single-hung operators; and
- restoration of lower floor wood-framed windows.
This paper highlights how building science and logic drove design decisions.
Citation: Thermal Performance, International Conference, 2010
Product Details
- Published:
- 2010
- Number of Pages:
- 13
- File Size:
- 1 file , 10 MB
- Product Code(s):
- D-BUILDINGSXI-124
