Project Background
The Banneker Community Center project consisted of measuring the existing properties cut Indiana Limestone retaining walls to provide as-built documentation for the local Indiana limestone fabrication mill to repair. Each and every piece of limestone in 850 foot long perimeter wall, which is around 2,500 pieces, were surveyed accurately down to the 1/16″ of an inch. Having experience of actually working in a limestone fabrication mill both cutting the stone and creating the production drawings, this was second nature but still a lot of pieces to document.
Field Survey
The above image shows the conditions of many of the existing limestone blocks around the perimeter of the Banneker Community Center, each stone was numbered and identified on the working drawings with the area of damage indicated. Over time, the water that collects behind the wall eventually works itself out the pours of the limestone including the mortar joints. As this happens the natural process of freezing and thawing over the winter season can create fractures in the stone and cause natural damage.
Most of the walls had multiple openings for stairs or drives, while this wall may appear to be a lot simpler to measure versus the above image, the overall length of this one wall was a peach to measure.
