The trustees of the Tremont Towers Condominiums, through Greater Boston Properties, engaged Atlantic Restoration Corp. to perform a capital façade restoration project for the seven-story building.
Observed deficiencies consisted of spalled precast stone window headers and sills, masonry failures indicated by missing mortar joints and cracked/spalled brick; failed sealants around windows; deteriorated metal panels and failed metal panel coating.
The building, located at 492 Mass. Ave. on the corner of Tremont St., is in the South End historic district. Because of that location, Atlantic Restoration had to work closely with the South End Historic Commission and the building trustees to ensure that the historical commission's requirements were met during the course of the project.
One of the challenges was to meet the color requirements of the faded and deteriorated metal window bay panels that face Mass Ave. The original color of the panels was a patina green, which had been painted grey during previous repairs. This challenge was met by using the GAF top coat in patina green to match the original color.
Other challenges included maintaining access to the building during the construction progress and staging one entire elevation along Mass. Ave. that also served as an MBTA bus stop. Because of the scope of the work and the work areas involved, keeping the building water tight during operations was always challenging.
Hurricane Irene tested Atlantic Restoration's preparedness and ability to keep the building protected from wind driven rains and to keep the staging secured. As a result of Atlantic Restoration's attention to detail, there were no reports of water intrusion or loss of equipment/staging during the hurricane.
The project was completed on budget and OSHA compliance was maintained throughout the duration. Atlantic Restoration received a commendation from the Boston Building Dept. for their ability to secure the staging and job site during the hurricane.