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Local Compass

Restoring Past Glory

BAC members play critical role in ongoing revitalization— and safety measures—of Oregon’s State Capitol building

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Breanna Rubio had never been to the Oregon State Capitol before she joined Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) team to work on the project. Like the 30 other BAC members who logged 10,000-work hours over a four-year period on the historic structure, the PCC apprentice from BAC Local 1 Oregon/Washington/Idaho/Montana was excited to be part of such an historic effort.

And why not? Steeped in a storied—if not complicated—history, the Oregon State Capitol is not only one of the state’s most endearing landmarks, but one of its most interesting as well. All told, the government seat has moved from Oregon City to Salem

David Graham, left, and Jesse Kibodeaux, both of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT, extracting and replacing the main steps into the Capitol building.

BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT PCC apprentice Breanna Rubio.

Restoration in progress. to Corvallis—then back to Salem. The first capitol, built in 1854, was destroyed in a mysterious fire 11 days after its dedication ceremony. The second burned to the ground in 1935 and was rebuilt in 1938 with help of the federal government at the height of the Great Depression.

Sitting on the National Register of Historic Places, the Oregon State Capitol had pulled in more than 200,000 visitors annually before the pandemic. Today, clad in brilliant white Vermont marble and hallmarked by a gilded bronze statue of the Oregon Pioneer, the building is a statement to Modernist Art Deco design.

“It’s pretty cool to be a part of a big historical project and see how it was constructed back in the ’30s,” Rubio said. “It’s funny that my first time visiting the capitol was when I got to be involved in taking it apart.”

REPAIRING AND IMPROVING

The sweeping revitalization that marks some of the work done by BAC members on the building’s grounds is more than just aesthetics. In 2013, a report from the Capitol Master Plan Review Committee uncovered “serious seismic problems” in the building—issues the report said would put lives at risk in the event of a major earthquake.

Several years after the report, the Legislative Assembly began

to address the situation with the approval of Phase I of the Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance and Safety (CAMS) project. Two more phases were also approved in 2020 and 2022 respectively, with total funding of $445.8 million. Phase II, which will be completed in December 2022, is addressing improvements to the seismic structure of the 1977 portions of the Capitol building, accessibility at the building’s south entrance, mechanical and electrical elements, life-safety issues, and restoration of historic elements. Phase III, a $375 million project, is set to address at-risk MEP systems, security and life safety issues, and ADA improvements.

REMOVE. RECORD. REPEAT.

One of the most important parts of the entire project was the salvage of more than 750 pieces of travertine, marble wainscoting and granite base stones at the ground floor level of the 1937 building. BAC was instrumental in removing and preserving this material from both inside the building and the facade.

Each piece had to be documented before it was moved to an off-site storage facility. BAC members, some of whom participated in IMI Historic Restoration Training before working on the job, helped provide a running photo log of the locations for each salvaged stone, be used in the future during the stone’s replacement in its original location.

“The general contractor [Hoffman Construction Company] had reached out to us for this project because of the other scopes, such as removing and salvaging corner stones, that we had done previously,” says Sara Stone, Project Manager for Tigard, Oregon’s Pioneer Waterproofing Company and member of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ ID/MT.

Stone says the project team not only had to document the plans for the project themselves, but also were in charge of labeling photos in a running log for each stone. “We had to show where each piece originated so that it could be reinstalled in the same spot,” Stone said. “This was challenging because it is hard to document the orientation of the stone and its location for reinstallation. For every piece, we had to be exact.”

The BAC team also was in charge of storing the stone in the off-site facility for two years, working diligently to ensure that each piece was protected from damage while being stored.

PART OF HISTORY

In a building steeped in such history and drama, one of the biggest challenges BAC members faced was how to safely remove stone that had been set for 85 years without breaking it. Josh Graham, foreman for Pioneer Waterproofing and member of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT, explained that while 95% of all the stones were able to be salvaged in one piece, some pieces came out cracked or broken, especially depending on the location of the stone. Over time, some of them had been cracked in place and to be removed by the BAC team, and then patched up so they were whole again. “This process was challenging, but with our skilled crews, we were able to get it done,” Graham said. “It was the challenge we faced from the onset: How to get the stone out without breaking it based on how it was anchored/ set originally.”

“What I like about working on these types of projects is seeing the craftsmanship back when it was built without the tools we have now, and how structurally sound the stone still is to this day,” Graham continued.

Danny Vickers, a journeyman on the project and BAC Local 1 OR/ WA/ID/MT member, agreed. “You can see the battles the old-timers went though just by looking at the substrate,” he said. “You can see the good quality that they produced.”

On the exterior walls of the Capitol, BAC was tasked with removing marble veneer panels at four areas, which enabled the Hoffman team to set up man/material hoists and

David Graham, left, and Jacob Paredes, both of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT, pulling up marble flooring.

temporary HVAC systems. “We removed a total of 20 panels, with each panel weighing approximately 5,000 pounds,” Graham said.

Next, scaffolds were erected to access the walls so that the joints on the sides of the panels could be cut to free the stones. A 210-ton crane was used to hoist the stones over the building down to the ground where pallets built specifically for the stone were waiting. The panels then were transferred to the off-site storage facility.

The next phase for the replacement of salvaged stones goes out to bid later this year.

“Historic work is in no short supply here in Oregon,” Stone says. “We always take each case, the time period in which it was built, what materials were available back then and what current substitutes are available — all while protecting the integrity of the building’s history.”

Henry Davidson, a 28-year member of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ ID/MT and 26-year employee of Pioneer Waterproofing, said, “I have worked on the Capitol building multiple times during my career, but no project to date compares to the size and challenges that the current one is providing. This gives our younger members the opportunity to learn restoration and new construction on one project and gain experience that would normally take many years. This is my biggest project and will also be my last. I am grateful to be a part of it.”

In a project of such magnitude, Mike Crawford, owner of Pioneer Waterproofing, says the BAC members on his team were just what the job called for—not only for his company, but for the preservation of the historic landmark. “This building is a large part of the history of our state, and we are proud to preserve it,” he said.

“We’ve done 50 years of work on the State Capitol and consider it one of our most highly esteemed accomplishments,” Crawford continued. “We are proud and honored to be part of preserving such an important piece of history and look forward to helping it continue to stand strong for generations to come.”

“For a job that has run through all four seasons, our BAC members have shown the type of true grit and determination it takes to overcome obstacles that a project like this might have,” said Matthew Eleazer, President of BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT. “It is not easy to do the type of work it takes to preserve the building—cataloging each stone into its original place—to help restore one of the state’s most iconic landmarks.” //

BAC Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT member Daniel Vickers patching a piece of stone off the building.

LOCAL 3 CALIFORNIA

BAC Members Construct New California Natural Resources Building

Building Embraces Sustainable Design

To address the growing issue of climate change, sustainable building design is the future of construction and becoming increasingly common in both private and public project development.

Since BAC members are the best hands in the business — trained in the most up-to-date innovations on materials and installation techniques — it is clear our contractors should be the primary bidders for this work and our members the workers on the projects.

Awarded by the Sacramento Business Journal as “Best Real Estate Projects Award-Green Community Impact,” the new California Natural Resources building is one of many projects that BAC members are at the forefront of installing green, sustainable materials. Designed to meet LEED-Platinum and net-zero energy standards, the project plan includes radiant floor heating, reclaimed water systems, mechanical chilled sails, and building materials such as rammed earth, reclaimed wood, and local/renewable materials.

BAC signatory contractor Townsend and Schmidt Masonry took up the challenge to lead in the installation of these new products, including rammed earth — a green material manufactured by upcycling dirt, sands, waste products and by-products of mining and rock-crushing into panels with a steel framework for mounting. According to Rammed Earth Blog, the manufacturing process of rammed earth panels uses 60% less concrete than traditional concrete panels, making them thin enough to put on a truck, be carried into a building, and hang on a wall.

In total, members of BAC Local 3 California installed 440 rammed earth panels with a standard size of 5’x 12’ and 3” thick, weighing in at 2,200 lbs. “These products are the future of construction here in California and across the nation,” said BAC Local 3 California President Troy Garland. “It is crucial that BAC

BAC Local 3 CA bricklayer apprentice Karlan Ricks-Chambers.

members are installing these green materials, and our signatory contractors are bidding these projects.”

Being the first large commercial installation for rammed earth panels, the Natural Resources Agency headquarters was not without its hurdles. “Installing the large panels under soffits was especially challenging,” said Pat Coyne, Superintendent for Townsend Schmidt Masonry. “With our team’s strong focus on safety, no supply chain issues, and the best hoisting equipment available, we were able to deliver a showroom quality installation, which met the project schedule.”

“I really enjoyed the onsite engineering required for a large project like this,” said project foreman Alex Motua, a BAC Local 3 California member. “The large number of massive panels needed to be arranged in the yard, so they could be pulled in the correct order and installed aligning the grain with the adjacent panels to create the continuous flow designed by the manufacturer and designer. There were four buildings in all clad with the rammed earth panels aligned to create a continuous grain among them, and all buildings panels matched in elevation.”

Once completed, this 21-story, 838,000-square-foot office tower will serve as the new workplace for 3,500 state employees in Sacramento, the capital of California. It will also be a new destination for the public with 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, a multi-vendor food court, and a lush green pedestrian plaza. //

Exterior of the Natural Resources Agency Headquarters.

BAC Local 3 CA bricklayers Adam Higgins, left, and Tim Ostapenko.

BAC LOCAL 3 CA MEMBERS WORKING ON THE PROJECT:

• Alex Morua: Foreman

• Adam Higgins: Installer

• David Trask: Installer • Robert Bishop: Installer

• Karlan Ricks-Chambers: Apprentice

• Tim Ostapenko: Installer

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