Scaffolding was erected in this area on Tuesday, November 25 to allow the structural engineer and contractors safe, working access to this ceiling area.  Contractors prepared the area for work by placing plywood on the scaffolding deck and installing plastic sheeting to keep the dust confined to the work area.  (Removing plaster and concrete is an extremely dusty process.)

On Tuesday (12/2), the structural engineer returned to conduct his assessment of the ceiling areas and mark those areas of plaster that needed to be removed.  Again, this is done by sounding (or tapping the surface with a hammer) to determine the areas of plaster and possibly concrete that have separated from the structure.  He marks these areas with chalk so that the contractor knows where to remove the plaster.   The contractor then removed these sections revealing the condition of the concrete underneath.

On Wednesday (12/3), the structural engineer returned to sound the concrete that was underneath the plaster.  He again marked areas of concrete that needed to be removed because they had separated from the concrete slab.  The contractors removed these areas.

The good news is that the damage and deterioration was less severe than on the SOUTH side.  However, there are still several areas that will require more extensive concrete repair than we had originally thought. 

It was then determined that these concrete repairs are impossible to conduct until warmer weather (it is difficult and expensive to pour concrete in cold conditions) and until enough funds have been raised for the increased scope of these repairs.  Our structural engineer recommended a temporary solution: to install plywood sheets on the entire ceiling surface.  These plywood sheets would cover all the exposed area of plaster and concrete and are securely bolted to concrete roof structure.  The sheets will then be painted to match the existing colors of the ceiling.  The will still be noticeable but not nearly as noticeable as exposed areas of concrete and plaster.

These covering perform several safety and aesthetic functions:

• Prevent any remaining loose pieces of plaster and concrete from falling
• Prevent any new areas of separation that might develop from falling
• Ensure safety for all occupants of the sanctuary
• Provide an aesthetically pleasing look, although remaining noticeable

On Thursday (12/4), these plywood coverings were installed and painted.

On Friday (12/5), the scaffolding was dismantled and reassembled in the NORTH side of the sanctuary (the Public Library/Lake Street side).  The process of this week will be repeated on the NORTH side between 12/8 and 12/12 and then on the EAST side between 12/15 and 12/19.   All of the seats in the upper sanctuary will be open for Holiday services. #

This has been a long developing situation and is not the cause of one single factor or event.  Our structural engineer believes that there is evidence that this deterioration has been occurring for at least 50 years. Some of the causes include:

• Water exposure from leaking roof drain system
• Water exposure from cracks surface concrete in upper concrete walls of Unity Temple (commonly referred to as parapet wall)
• Original design and construction flaws (poured in place concrete technology was very new in 1905-08)
• Inadequate or faulty repairs in the past
• The age of the building

The next step is to conduct an assessment of the roof/ceiling slab from the top.  This will require contractors to open up the existing roof system (insulation and roofing membrane) so that the structural engineer can see the condition of the concrete slab from the top.  They will also chip out some concrete in locations so that we can examine the reinforcing bar and several cores of the entire slab section (a small cylindrical section is drilled through from top to bottom) will be taken for analysis.  This will occur as soon as we have several dry days of weather in a row.

Once the assessment is complete, our structural engineer can create his report and develop the correct repair solution.  Given the extensive deterioration, it is likely this will require taking out complete sections of the concrete slab and re-pouring the slab with new concrete and reinforcing steel.  Originally we had hoped that we only need to patch the concrete in localized areas.  Unfortunately it now appears this project will require more extensive concrete repairs. #

Please check back for more updates.

Thanks!

 If you would like to see more photos of the work in progress you can click on the “More Photos” at the bottom of the PHOTOS ON FLICKR side bar on the right side of this web page. 

You can also visit our Flickr photostream directly at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14215303@N05/

Check back regularly.  We will be posting more photos often. n

Unfortunately, CP determined that a signifiacant amount of the ceiling plaster needs to be removed. This is approximately 50% of the total ceiling area on the south side of the sanctuary.  He is very interested to see the condition of the concrete underneath.

Once CP finished his assessment and marked the areas of plaster to be removed, the contractors went to work.  The installed plastic sheeting to contain the dust and installed plywood along the art galss windows for protection.

The contractors from Zera Construction then began removing the plaster in the areas designated by CP.  The plaster is being removed because it has seperated from the concrete structure and could potentially fall.  The engineers also need to be able to assess the condition of the concrete structure underneath the plaster to determine what repairs are necessary.

On Friday, the contractors will finish removing the areas of plaster indicated by the engineer.  They will also carefully remove some of the decorative wood trim so that it does not get damaged during the concrete repair process.  CP Bok, our structural engineer, will also return to assess and sound the concrete structure to determine areas of concern and develop a repair plan.  n

 Inside the organ loft they installed steel posts to reinforce existing wood construction and installed additional decking to ensure a safe working surface. 

Now there is a continuous work surface the entire span of the south ceiling area.  This will allow our engineers and contractors to safely access the ceiling to accomplish their work.

On Thursday our engineer will be here to assess the ceiling by sounding for areas where the plaster has sepearated from the concrete and/or the underlying concrete has deteriorated.  Our contractors will install dust protection and then begin removing the plaster identified by the engineer. n

We received that proposal in late October and we have determined that we need to start the work outlined in that proposal now, for four reasons:

• First, we need to assess the condition of the entire ceiling before we repair any of it, so that we don’t have to later open up repaired areas.
• Second, concrete repairs need to be done before the temperature drops too low.
• Third, we’d like to finish this work now so that we can regain use of all of the upper seating areas before the holiday season.
• Fourth, we have received building code citations from the Village of Oak Park because of the ceiling, and we need to respond to those citations as soon as possible.

We have signed contracts with the engineer and a contractor and work began Wednesday, November 12. 

The contracts cover a detailed assessment of the structural condition of the ceiling in the sanctuary (and roof where necessary), including identifying additional areas of plaster that might be at risk of further separation from the concrete.  The contracts also will cover the removal of all sections of plaster and concrete that have separated and the repair of concrete (not the finish plaster) where that is necessary.  
 
Starting today, scaffolding will be installed at the south end of the sanctuary, and then, as work is completed, moved to the other three sections of the room.  We expect the work to be completed in about five weeks.  By mid-December, we will have made the entire room safe and usable, and we will have identified any other potential problem areas that will need to be addressed in the longer term.
 
Regarding the cost, our best estimate at this time is that it will cost between $75,000 and $90,000 to do the structural assessment and ceiling repair work.  Plus, we need to raise an additional $10,000 to pay for electrical repairs in the office area of Unity House, which is the subject of fire code citations from the Village of Oak Park going back to last year.  The Board of Trustees and the Development Committee have established a target of $100,000 to address these emergency needs.
 
The Development Committee has begun preparing a fundraising campaign to pay for this work.  The Development Committee will formally present the Emergency Fund Appeal to the Congregation in early December.  This Appeal will be in lieu of the Winter Appeal that historically we have had at the end of the year, which in the past has funded the piano purchase, bathroom renovations and other capital improvements.
 
To jump start this fundraising campaign, the Board has collectively pledged $9,000 toward our target.  And, we have received pledges from anonymous donors to match the next $40,000 in contributions to this Appeal.  If we receive an additional $40,000 in pledges from the congregation, we will be getting very close to our target.
 
While we need to address this emergency now, the Board will continue to work on a longer term plan for addressing our facility issues.  As part of that planning, we will continue to work with Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) to coordinate our responsibility for building maintenance costs with UTRF’s mission of restoration.  We will give the congregation updates as we have more specific assessments of the long term work that needs to be done and firmer estimates of the cost.
 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Board of Trustees at board@unitytemple.org.  You can also contact David Wilke, our Business Manager, at dwilke@unitytemple.org or 708/848-6225 x100 with questions regarding day-to-day matters.  David will also be posting regular updates on the progress of this project HERE at our new Building Weblog. n