Benefits of Helical Bar Reinforcing in Preserving Historic Masonry Facades: Fid-Bau Portal

Benefits of Helical Bar Reinforcing in Preserving Historic Masonry Facades

Hammarberg, Eric / Shoemaker, Jared M.

There are many reasons that engineers and architects find it necessary to complete masonry repairs to facades while having minimal impact. For reasons such as preservation of the intact original historic fabric of the facade, lack of acceptable replacement materials, project schedule, or other cost prohibitive conditions, an alternative but reliable repair may be desirable. Non-destructive helical bar reinforcing can often be considered as a dependable and efficient means of rectifying and reinforcing many potentially serious deficiencies in masonry walls that may otherwise result in large-scale replacement of areas of the façade. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of helical bar reinforcing and describes how utilizing such alternative repair methods may offer a means of repairing existing masonry walls without removing a single brick. A comparison of helical bar reinforcing to brick replacement and rebuilding is discussed. What is the process of non-destructive helical bar reinforcing? What are typical difficulties confronted when performing this type of repair? What results may be expected from helical bar reinforcing? These questions will be discussed and three case studies of historic and landmarked buildings will be presented - one low-rise residential building and two high-rise commercial buildings, all in New York City. This paper discusses how incorporating non-destructive helical bar reinforcing into the repair of historic masonry facades can aid in the repair of masonry buildings while having a minimal impact on the façade.