Client: City of Panama City Quality of Life
The Marina Civic Center sustained significant damage during the October 10, 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael. Reportedly, the storm breached the Civic Center’s building envelope when the glass window wall failed on the northwest elevation of the building. Additionally, it had been reported that failures along the building envelope and roof including roof and wall installation locations for HVAC equipment and ducts. The focus of this investigation and forensic testing was on the Ground Floor Exterior Access Mechanical Room located at the southwest corner of the building. NOVA understood that before approving claims for damages to mechanical, motor control, electrical, and electronic equipment in the mechanical room, FEMA and the City’s insurer require conclusive evidence of wind-driven rain wetting of equipment and controls in the mechanical room. NOVA was hired to provide unbiased field testing to assist in determining if water intrusion occurred in the mechanical room. NOVA field activities were conducted over a three-day period. Day 1 we conducted a visual condition assessment of the exterior enclosure and roof components of the mechanical room structure as well as conduct a visual condition assessment of the interior of the mechanical room. Day 2 was pre-test site preparation. Interior components required for the testing (water catch boxes, moisture watermark paper, roof diverters, interior and exterior cameras, anemometers and lighting) were installed. Day 3 was all field testing, performing Dynamic Testing, utilizing wind generators to simulate hurricane-force winds of 89mph to 127mph and seven inches of rain over a five-hour duration. Testing resulted in the mechanical room being saturated.
Services Provided: Forensic Water Infiltration Testing using Dynamic Water Pressure
