San Diego, CA
Scope/Solutions
The John Rhoades Federal Judicial Center includes three buildings and a plaza over below-grade space. Named for Edward J. Schwartz, the six-story federal office building and five-story U.S. courthouse were constructed in the early 1970s. The adjacent, sixteen‑story James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep U.S. Courthouse was constructed along with the plaza in 2012. Partnering with Tectonics, SGH investigated reported below-grade leakage at all three buildings, performed a building enclosure condition assessment, and recommended repairs.
Our work included visually surveying interior spaces, the plaza, facades, and roofing, and investigating leakage at the plaza. We performed water testing to determine leakage paths, made observations of concealed conditions at exploratory openings, and conducted testing in our laboratory to identify the existing plaza waterproofing.
SGH documented deteriorated and defective building enclosure systems, including those contributing to the reported leakage, and developed repair recommendations for the plaza, facades, and roofing. We provided estimates of the remaining service life to help U.S. General Services Administration prioritize the work and plan for long-term repairs and maintenance.
Project Summary
