Floor Framing The ground floor of the building consists of a concrete slab on grade. The floor framing of the second floor was not exposed or visible during the observation and no structural plans are available. The framing likely spans 22’- 8” between the exterior masonry bearing walls and is supplemented by painted steel wide flange and channel frames at the front, back, and middle of the structure. This floor supports a significant load from the pottery kilns and storage on the second floor. At the stairway, there is a 2’-0” difference in elevation between the first- floor ceiling and the second-story floor; this could indicate that the framing consists of wood trusses; though this couldn't be verified. The first-floor concrete slab on grade is in good condition. The second-floor framing system has a large span, supports a large load, and was concealed during the observation, so its capacity has not been verified. However it appears to be in good condition based on the overall system performance; there are no signs of deflection that would indicate structural deficiencies. Lateral Force Resisting System (LFRS) The LFRS of the house consists of the building’s perimeter brick walls acting as shear walls and is augmented by the steel knee-braced frames that offer some redundancy.
The LFRS is in good condition. It has performed well over the lifetime of the structure.
Other Structural Features The site includes a non-original outdoor steel-framed stair fire escape with concrete landings leading to a second- floor entrance on the east side of the building (Re: Figure 29). There are two brick masonry chimneys on the west elevation, integral with the exterior bearing wall.
The fire escape is in poor condition and has significant corrosion at the angles and decks. The chimneys are in good condition showing no signs of structural distress such as displacement.
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Boulder Fire Station No. 2
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