Preventing Failures by Inspection of Chicago Building Facades: Fid-Bau Portal

Preventing Failures by Inspection of Chicago Building Facades

Bast, William D.

On October 22, 1974 a pedestrian walking in Chicago's Loop area was killed by a piece of terra cotta that fell from a building façade. A task force formed as a result of the incident determined that 45 percent of the facades surveyed had unsafe conditions. Consequently, a Façade Inspection Ordinance was passed in 1978 that required all Chicago buildings taller than six stories to undergo a close-up inspection of 100 percent of the façade surface area. The ordinance language mysteriously did not appear in the new 1979 City of Chicago Building Code and was therefore technically repealed. In August 1994 more pieces of terra cotta, brick and glass fell from three buildings in the city. Another task force was organized and recommended language for a city ordinance, which was passed by City Council on January 10, 1996. This ordinance provided for annual "Ongoing Inspection and Repair" programs as well as "Critical Examinations" for building facades. From 1996 to the present, the author has performed over 65 ongoing and critical inspections of building facades in Chicago. The exterior walls of these buildings were composed of various materials, and included terra cotta, brick, stone, concrete, metal and glass. The purpose of these inspections was to satisfy the new ordinance which was designed to prevent failures by identifying imminently hazardous conditions and repairing them before they could cause damage to life and/or property. This paper will provide an overview of conditions discovered on the buildings that the author inspected, as well as information and experience that was used in determining whether or not these conditions could be deemed "imminently hazardous".