Masonry Magazine February 1974 Page. 7
ST. MICHAEL HOSPITAL
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Architects: Pfaller-Flad & Associates
General Contractor: Becker Construction
Panel Manufacturer: Masonry Systems of Illinois
By having brick laid in Aurora, III., for a seven-story addition to St. Michael Hospital in Milwaukee, Wis.-120 miles away construction costs were cut considerably and a tricky masonry job was made easy.
St. Michael's existing building is brick, so it was natural for Pfaller-Flad & Associates, architects from Milwaukee and Madison, to design the addition to blend with the original building. Masonry panels were specified, and Becker Construction of Milwaukee, general contractor, contracted Masonry Systems of Illinois in Aurora to provide the necessary masonry work.
Masonry panels were particularly suited to this job because the design called for the construction of diamond-shaped pods to give the exterior wall a sawtooth effect. That, of course, would have meant elaborate scaffolding with conventional bricklaying techniques. But with the use of Sarabond brand mortar additive in these panels, allowed off-site fabrication in a plant 120 miles away and installation on the St. Michael Hospital job site without complicated scaffolding. Panels were crane-lifted into place.
Two different panels were used to make up each section in the sawtooth design of St. Michael Hospital. One of the panels was designed with a 45-degree angle at one end to eliminate a corner joint. With prefabricated panels, the scaffolding was eliminated.
Three typical panels were produced: a flat panel; a flat, abbreviated "U" shape with each end at a 45° angle; and a flat panel with one 90° return so the joints between panels would not be at the corners. All panel designs were made with just a single wythe of 4" brick.
Because the floors are cantilevered, weight was critical. The panels required no back-up block or steel, so the wall weight was minimized. The prefabricated single-wythe panels also allowed for more usable space inside the building.
To give the panels the strength they needed to function with just a single wythe, Masonry Systems of Illinois used Sarabond brand mortar additive. The use of Sarabond also allowed the panels to hold together through transit and eventual lifting into place by a crane. This epoxy-base additive increases the tensile and bond strengths of portland cement mortar so they approach or equal the strength of the masonry units themselves and result in a monolithic wall.
Using prefabricated panels meant vital savings to the hospital's operators: they realized construction savings because there was no complex scaffolding involved and weather delays did not affect application of the masonry work. Cost was of special importance in this case-the hospital is operated as a voluntary, not-for-profit facility by the Franciscan Sisters of Wheaton. III. Financing of the project relied chiefly on borrowing and donations from the Milwaukee community.
asonry
February, 1974
7