III. ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING ASSESSMENT

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Background The UUSS campus consists of 5.76 acres and a clustered arrangement of buildings, outdoor patio spaces, playgrounds, gardens, walkways, service driveways and parking.  The buildings include the main Social Hall with supportive spaces; separate structures for classrooms linked under one roof, meeting room and office spaces; and a detached storage building  ( refer to site plans and building floor plan drawings in Appendix ) .  The original Social Hall building was constructed in 1959-60, the classroom buildings were constructed in the period of 1961-66, and the metal storage building was erected in 1998.    This report does not address the residential duplex buildings owned by UUSS and leased for income, and occupying two separate adjoining parcels. The northern portion of the two duplex parcels is partitioned with a fence and used as part of the outdoor recreation and open space for the campus.

The campus site development includes a primary and secondary service driveway, parking for approximately 200 vehicles, outdoor lighting, signage, drainage swales and devices, landscaping, patio areas, playground equipment, walkways, fencing, and underground utility services.   The site assessment report prepared by the UUSS facility committee ( see Appendix )  describes in more detail these site development elements.

The building structures are composed of a combination of concrete, timber and wood frame construction, and they include a faceted hexagonal and orthogonal plan.  The Social Hall and the westerly classroom building ( now used as a meeting room and offices )  include the unique features of a hexagonal motif of glazed openings in precast concrete wall panels, and similar repeating patterns in the door glazed panels. The buildings’ architectural composition reflects the “organic design” style that was gaining recognition in the 1950-60s period.  This style was reflected in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruce Goff, and proponents of the early environmental architecture movement that emphasized organic geometry, exposure of the structure in the finish building, horizontal planes and the connection of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Architectural Finishes & Fenestrations: The interior building finishes are almost entirely of the original construction and include:  vinyl floor tile, hardwood flooring ( stage) , painted gypsum board wall and ceiling finish, vinyl wall base, select walls of mahogany veneer wood paneling, exposed concrete wall panels, and exposed roof laminated beams and wood decking for the vaulted ceiling in the Social Hall.  Portions of the buildings – office areas, meeting rooms and some of the classrooms, have been remodeled with the addition of suspended acoustic tile ceilings, new vinyl tile flooring and carpet flooring. The kitchen adjoining the FAHS room has also been recently remodeled.

The fenestrations include:  wood sash windows  ( casement and fixed) and wood doors in the main building and the westerly FAHS meeting room building.  The easterly classroom buildings have solid core doors and aluminum frame windows, and exhibit simpler details and material finishes. All glazing is single pane, including the acrylic and glass hexagonal units in the cast concrete panels.  Interior doors are typically “flush” panel with both hollow and solid cores. Bathroom interior floor and partial wall finish is ceramic tile.   Cabinetry construction is a combination of plastic laminate and painted wood exposed faces and plastic laminate countertops.

The building exterior finish consists of exposed structural concrete walls, stucco over wood framed wall sections, and exposed wood framing and sheathing at roof eaves.  The roof finishes include asphaltic membranes and single-ply vinyl membrane ( on the classroom buildings ) . The large roof overhangs are wood framed and serve an important function in providing shade around the perimeters of the buildings and shedding rain water off the roof edge to drainage swales and away from the building walls. There are no gutter systems at the roof eaves.

Assessment of Conditions:

Over-view:

Most of the surfaces, finishes and exposed architectural elements of the buildings are fifty years old and reflect considerable use as well as diligent care and maintenance.    Some areas in the buildings show signs of deferred maintenance, and the serviceable life of certain surfaces and elements call for replacement at this time.  The overall building design appears to have served the congregation well, with only minor adaptation achieved by the removal and addition of certain wall partitions to serve changing needs of the program. The major drawback of the original building design is the lack of staff office and support spaces, and the lack of a clearly defined entry. There are also issues of sound separation and circulation/flow in the main Social Hall building ( during services and events in the main space) . The current offices are adapted from the original “children’s library” ( in the main building)  and the originally designated small classrooms ( in the FAHS building) .  The newly constructed canopy structure is an effort to create an identifiable welcoming entrance for the campus. The conflicts about the “entrance” are partly explained by the absence of the “sanctuary building” that was part of the original master plan.

Specific:

The following specific items are noted for requiring replacement or repair:

1. Flooring:  The original VCT ( vinyl-asbestos tile)  in the Social Hall building is in poor condition and needs complete replacement.   The existing floor tiles are cracked in areas, tiles are missing, and the surface is damaged and worn in numerous areas. Replacement of the flooring will require abatement due to the hazardous content  ( inert in its current state, but potentially released when removed)  of the existing floor tiles and the adhesives used at the time of their installation.   It is recommended that a highly durable linoleum product made from post-industrial recycled material be considered for the new flooring.  Such products as “marmoleum” manufactured by Forbo Flooring Systems would be part of this consideration. Prior to installation of new flooring, the concrete slab underneath will require repair and the filling of cracks with a non-shrink grout ( the concrete floor slab cracks have caused some of the current cracks and tears in the vinyl flooring) . The hardwood flooring areas ( stage) require refinish.  Where flooring areas will be replaced with carpet, it is recommended that large ‘carpet tiles’  composed of commercial grade recycled material be considered;  this will reduce maintenance over time because the carpet tiles can be replaced piecemeal in the worn/traffic areas.

2. Interior Walls & Ceilings:  The wood veneer wall paneling in the Social Hall requires refinish.  The painted gypsum board wall and ceiling finish is in serviceable condition. There are some areas that require patching and repainting.   The vinyl wall base needs replacement in a number of areas ( tears in the Social Hall )  and is missing in some areas in the classrooms.  Replacement of the vinyl base should accompany any floor or wall refinish.

3. Cabinetry: Existing cabinetry is in serviceable condition.  The original cabinet faces and tops are worn and their replacement should be considered during future remodeling.   Solid surface type materials should be considered for the kitchen and bathroom areas to provide longer-term service in areas subject to water. Replacement of the cabinetry is an opportunity to provide cabinetry to support the current and projected room functions in a more effective manner.

4. Doors: Most of the interior and exterior doors and their hardware are in need of adjustments, repairs or replacement.   Where doors are replaced, it is recommended that metal frames be considered in order to provide more stable hinging and latching mechanisms. All glass at door openings and adjacent glazing should be tempered glass to meet code standards. It has been noted elsewhere that some of the existing doors do not meet accessibility standards without regard to size, hardware and threshold conditions. At several doors in the classroom building there is no threshold, and the carpet and vinyl flooring edges are exposed.  There are varying gaps between doors and their frames that result in air leaks and lower security conditions.

5. Windows: Most of the windows in the Social Hall building are fixed or casement. The fixed glazing panels in the concrete walls are tinted acrylic ( some units are replaced with glass ) .    The accordian wall partition between the foyer and social hall does not appear to be fully functional; it needs replacement  ( another type of door/wall system could be considered to provide greater sound separation.  The windows in the classroom buildings are aluminum frame.  They are in serviceable condition but show their age due to:  corrosion at the frames, loose vinyl weatherstripping, and worn latching mechanism.  One of the window panes is broken.  All glazing is single pane.  The replacement of windows during future remodeling is an opportunity to improve the building envelope energy performance.

6. Exterior Walls:  The exterior walls are in serviceable condition.  The concrete walls have only minor fissure cracks and it appears that the walls have not been treated over their fifty-year life.   For long-term maintenance and appearance, we recommend that the concrete walls be cleaned and treated with an acrylic penetrating sealer ( that will enhance the integral color of the walls ) . Some of the hexagonal openings in the concrete wall have been opened up to allow for piping and conduits. We recommend that the openings be sealed. The stucco exterior wall finish ( classroom buildings )  has been maintained with masonry paint over the original finish coats.  This is a good practice for future maintenance of the wall surface.

7. Eaves: The roof eaves are generally in serviceable condition.  Conditions that warrant future repair and attention include:

a. there are several large holes in the frieze blocking and projecting timbers of theSocial Hall building, made by wood-eating bees.  Some of these holes have been covered with screening to prevent insects from nesting in the roof rafter cavities.

b. Some of the 2x4 purlins at the Social Hall overhang are split and need to be reinforced or replaced.

c. The outer roof edge fascia board is deteriorated in some places and needs to be replaced.   The nails connecting the fascia to the framing are coming loose.

d. The roof sheathing at the overhangs needs to be refinished; the stain/paint finish is peeling.8. Roofing: The roofing at the classroom building has been recently installed.  The single ply vinyl membrane is a fully adhered installation and is in good condition.  We recommend that this roof be reviewed during or immediately after a rain to see if ponding is occurring.  The roofing at the Social Hall building is a built-up tar and gravel roof and may be the original roofing that has been patched and repaired over the years.  This roofing surface is in need of replacement in the short term.9. Patio surfaces: There are wood control joints in portions of the patios and walkways.  These wood members are rotting and deteriorating, and present a trip hazard.  We recommend removal of these wood dividers and filling in with concrete to provide an even walking surface without depressions.

8. Roofing: The roofing at the classroom building has been recently installed.  The single ply vinyl membrane is a fully adhered installation and is in good condition.  We recommend that this roof be reviewed during or immediately after a rain to see if ponding is occurring.  The roofing at the Social Hall building is a built-up tar and gravel roof and may be the original roofing that has been patched and repaired over the years.  This roofing surface is in need of replacement in the short term.

9. Patio surfaces: There are wood control joints in portions of the patios and walkways.  These wood members are rotting and deteriorating, and present a trip hazard.  We recommend removal of these wood dividers and filling in with concrete to provide an even walking surface without depressions.