Tennessee Board of Regents
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Having been plagued with water leaks for years, a building envelope investigation was commissioned by the Tennessee Board of Regents for Wilder Tower on the University of Memphis campus. It revealed that through-wall-flashing, weeps and end-dams had been omitted during construction of the brick veneer facade. As a result of this, many of the shelf angles supporting the brick were deteriorated. Because flashings have to be integral with the wall construction, no reasonable way was found to remedy this problem other than removing the brick veneer. HGA was hired to design the brick removal and replacement. Our responsibility also included repairing the underlying structure as needed, the dampproofing of the substrate, replacing the deteriorated shelf angles, and installing properly detailed through-wall flashing. Additional work provided for cleaning of the decorative precast concrete elements, replacement of some sections of glazing, and replacing the precast cap at the top of the walls with a metal cap flashing. As a result of this work, the building has remained dry.