The Towers at Harbor Court

Baltimore, Maryland

Constructed in 1987, The Towers at Harbor Court was Baltimore’s first luxury high-rise condominium properties adjacent to Inner Harbor, providing striking views of the Baltimore Skyline. With 174 luxury residences, this amenity-rich multifamily structure stands at an impressive 29 stories tall and includes a parking deck.

Working with the owner, American Community Management, Inc., on multiple repair and investigation projects over the past 20 years, SKA’s Building Solutions Group has been a valuable partner to maintain the integrity, stability, and lifecycle of this high-rise, brick multifamily facility. One project involved the analysis of the roof and structure finite element analysis, which investigated face spalling, cracking, displacement and bowing of the exterior brick veneer. SKA’s investigation revealed that there was widespread omission of the masonry ties that secured the exterior brick veneer to the metal stud backup system.

SKA performed a finite element analysis of the exterior wall system to determine the spacing and location of new metal ties that would bring the walls into code compliance, and the locations where relief joints below shelf angles were required to relieve stresses from differential movements. The wind pressures on the exterior cladding that were used in the analysis were based on the results of wind tunnel tests. This finite element analysis considered the effects of positive and negative wind loads on the exterior brick veneer, volume changes in the brick veneer from expansion and contraction from both moisture and temperature changes, and eccentric loading of the brick on the steel shelf angles and steel spandrel beams.