National Gallery Of Art – East Building

The primary objective of the East Building Exterior Stone Repairs project was to replace the anchors that support the stone cladding to restore the structural integrity of the stone cladding system. This required the removal of the 17,000-plus exterior marble panels, refabricating each stone for the new anchor system and reinstalling each stone in its original location, consistent with the original design intent. This was accomplished by using a modified support system, which eliminated the existing ‘locked-in” façade cladding stresses, which will dramatically extend the service life of the East Building. The work included the removal, modifications and reinstallation of exterior stone cladding and replacement of cladding anchorages, joint gaskets and flashings. Since the Tennessee Pink Marble marble is now more difficult to obtain, especially in the range of original colors, every effort was made to avoid damage to the stone panels as they were removed, reworked and reinstalled on the building.

The Smoot team utilized several innovations in technology and logistics to provide this project with high levels of quality, safety and efficiency. To track each of the 17,000 stones at all project stages – removal, on-site repairs and storage, and reinstallation – the team used iPad tablet computers equipped with barcode scanners, cameras and customized software.

Smoot team members took a snapshot of every panel as each was removed, and noted each stone’s physical coordinates and condition. Every stone and its wall location were affixed with a barcode for tracking. The condition and status of all stones and wall locations were immediately available to every member of the project team through the Vela (now BIM 360) software. Additional scope included: replacing deteriorating neoprene joint gaskets, waterproofing and roofing repairs.