Preservation Meets Innovation

Building a state-of-the-art museum is a wonderful opportunity and challenge for any contractor. Building a museum while at the same time preserving the ruins of the original structure required a unique process at the new American Civil War Museum site.

Using the existing ruin wall as part of the final building was the plan. We had to treat the ruin wall at its base to ensure it was impervious to water. To achieve that water tightness, we delicately dug out the wall, prepared it with a parge coating, then applied modern waterproofing systems.

Working with the architects at 3North, we chose a brick mortar compatible with the historic brick. Typically, old mortar is much softer than modern mortars, so we had to take care to find one that is soft enough to be compatible for any repairs in the future.

The existing wall under the staircase in the pre-gallery area required us to remove soil from around it without damage to the fabric. We had to extricate the wall from the vegetation and roots that had grown through it.

Installation of the glass curtain around the ruin wall was complicated due to the fact that the existing brick is not flat or level. Putting new glass products that are flat and level around the old brick surfaces proved to be a tedious process, but the result of that painstaking work is stunning.

Early construction of the new museum

Whiting-Turner

Construction logistics to install the glass panels above the existing water raceway proved to be one of the biggest challenges of the project. Because no equipment could be mobilized in the raceway, we had to erect special scaffolding on the west side of the building.

Multiple utility tie-ins of new underground utilities to existing ones required several power and water shutdowns in existing buildings. These all were coordinated with the project team. Shoring and re-shoring the existing tunnels was required to install new utilities. For utilities and all installations, the project goal was always to protect the historic fabric of the property.

CONSTRUCTION BY THE NUMBERS

170 tons of steel

1,100 cubic yards concrete

30,000 bricks

113,581 ft (21.5 miles) electrical conduit

465,044 ft (88 miles) electrical wire