Facing Wall Techniques: Mastering Blind Side Wall Aesthetics
The recent past, we looked at another building with very rough looking brickwork where the brick had initially been built at a blind side where the current exterior of the brick was not accessible during the initial construction. There was, before, a different neighboring building there in the past. That former neighboring building is now gone. It has been destroyed and removed.
Today we are looking at another condition, very similar, but different because at this particular location perforated metal panels have been installed to hide the rough wall texture.
As you may imagine, it’s a bit paradoxical because in this case, the property of the person who is paying for the panels does not own the building being hidden. The land on which the panels are installed is not owned by the owner of the building facade which is being concealed. The owner of the adjacent courtyard is paying to hide their neighbor’s wall.
In simple terms, the neighbor who sees the rough and ugly brick facade has the incentive to install the panels to hide the rough brick facade, but that client isn’t the one who owns the ugly facade. Instead the neighbor who owns the rough and ugly facade probably doesn’t care if it’s ugly because they don’t see it from their side of the property line.
It’s a bit backwards from what you intuitively expect, just simply because like most cities, here in this particular example, these buildings are directly next to each other and most properties here in DC are built just like that. Often there is little space between the buildings and of course in many cases the buildings are actually connected to one another. in this case, the outdoor entrance to the building allows a small courtyard type gathering space and the neighboring walls create the architectural environment for that courtyard.
The next picture below shows that rough brickwork more clearly, at an area where it’s still a exposed, very high on the wall, above the tops of the metal panels. The metal panels do a pretty good job to hide that rough and ugly texture at the lower parts of the wall. People standing or sitting in the courtyard next to this wall can still see the upper parts of the wall, but it’s a bit more out of view and a little bit farther away.
The panels are hanging from a tube steel framework which supports the panels. The tube steel framework is 4 in x 4 in in thickness and is mounted to a concrete footing below the finished pavers. The concrete footing is a larger and heavier area of concrete, built just to support these posts. These posts need to be supported in the typical ways to prevent subsidence, but even more importantly in this configuration, the post and associated panel system must be built in a way that resists sway and racking.
These metals are made in sheet metal form, and although they are thicker than the typical sheet metal used in roofing flashings they’re still relatively thin compared to the metal used in the structural tube steel frame. In most cases, structural tube steel is called hot rolled because it is formed and shaped while the metal is still hot, generally red hot.
The thinner metal panels are punched in a cold process with a massively powerful and large hydraulic machine that cuts the holes and slots that provide the perforated decorative aesthetic . Cold form steels, by comparison to hot formed steels, are thinner and weaker. As the name implies, these types of thinner and weaker metals are formed when they are cold.
Metals are generally much tougher to work when they are cold because the higher temperature will allow them to be softer and malleable. After the metal cools, it is much harder to bend and shape. For field applications though, we most often will weld and or cut structural steel using cold applications. Heating through hot applications can be more complicated on site. Most hot steel type processes happen in large factories.
Here, you can see the panel faces in a direct, elevation, view. The panels do have a bit of a industrial aesthetic, but they also look very visually interesting. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of industrial rustic type aesthetic design. It’s very different than the typical classical architectural facades found in the graceful and elaborately decorative historic building facades of Washington DC, but nonetheless it is visually interesting. The newer interest in this industrial-esque style may be driven by a growing appreciation for the raw, unfinished charm of stryctural wlememts and ties into an interest in utilitarian design.
This design language has roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when rapid industrialization transformed the urban most American landscapes. As factories, warehouses, and infrastructure proliferated, this design and the aesthetic was really a byproduct. The intent of the design was focused on the functional aspects that both reduced costs and work to drive efficiency. As architects and designers look at the industrial design style, it’s probably a mistake for them to think there are intentional similarities to the the aesthetic intention of the original Industrial construction.
Contrary to the commonly misunderstood idea that this style originated with a minimalist taste, this style started with a focus on function. It wasn’t until later, especially here in America, where industrial aesthetics and designs began to appeal to the masses, after the end of the Industrial Revolution. At that point, and only years afterwards, was it both common and popular for large New York City industrial buildings to be converted into loft space.
Those areas were mostly inhabited by people who were considered to be on the fringe of finer society. Artists, for example, were often some of the people who use these loft type condos and apartments the most, at least in the beginning. Later it became appealing to the masses and as a result, today industrial elements are sprinkled into many different types of common design.
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Our company focuses on historic restoration more than modern building upkeep, maintenance, and construction, but our company understands both types of construction very well and a full picture well-rounded approach is needed in any niche in the construction industry. Although we focus on historic restoration, repointing, tuckpointing and historic brick repair, our company also has technical knowledge and competencies in the areas of modern and contemporary construction as well as we become one of the leaders in that area of the market today. Understanding both historic and modern or contemporary construction is useful because both aspects help understand the challenges and potential solutions for challenges in building science and construction.
We can help with a variety of historic masonry restoration needs and upkeep, from modest tuckpointing and or repointing to complicated and extensive historic masonry restoration. Infinity Design Solutions is a historic restoration specialist contractor specializing in both historic masonry restoration such as tuckpointing our repointing, and brick repair. If you have questions about the architectural details or facade of your historic building in Washington DC, reach out and say hello and if we can help we’ll be glad to assist you. You can email us or call us on the telephone at the following link: contact us here.
