San Francisco, CA

530 Bush Street

Scope/Solutions

Located in the city’s financial district, 530 Bush Street was originally a power plant. The owner planned to convert the eighty-year-old building to office space and wanted to address cracks and spalling in the terra-cotta cornice that created a life safety problem, severe corrosion of structural steel components, water intrusion at walls and parapets, rooftop planter leaks contributing to material failure, and lead-based paint on concrete walls above cornice. SGH conducted a condition assessment of the five-story facade and developed a rehabilitation program.

SGH assessed the condition of the steel-framed building with masonry infill and a terra-cotta-clad cornice with roof planter above. SGH developed a repair program that included the following:

  • Removal and restoration of severely cracked cornice pieces reinstalled with new supports
  • Removal and patching of spalled terra-cotta and concrete columns above the cornice
  • Cleaning of corroded steel and treatment with a corrosion inhibitor
  • Replacement of the cornice roof and roof above the top-story windows and development of a waterproofing design for new roof garden
  • Consultation for lead paint abatement

We also implemented cathodic protection for the structural steel supports in the cornice which made this project the first known application of cathodic protection on a steel-framed, masonry building facade in the United States. The cathodic protection system utilized twenty-three titanium anodes and low voltage direct current to control corrosion of the steel components.

Project Summary

Icon: completion-date

2000

Completion Date
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation | Preservation
Services
Building Enclosures | Structures
Markets
Commercial
Client(s)
Transwestern Commercial Services
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening | Condition Assessments | Roofing & Waterproofing

Key team members

Carolyn Searls
Carolyn Searls
Senior Principal

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