Survey of the Performance of Masonry Structures in the Maritime Provinces

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Survey of the Performance of Masonry Structures in the Maritime Provinces

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA

DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

A SURVEY OF THE PERFORMANCE OF MASONRY STRUCTURES IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES

by

To Ritchie

ANALYZED

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

This report has been prepared for information and record purposes and is not to be referenced in

any publication

Report No.

65

of the

Division of Building Research

Ottawa

( i )

PREFACE

The performance of buildings under severe weather conditions has been a subject of lively concern to the Division

of Building Research since the time of its inception in

1947G

One of its first actions in this connection was to continue the

financial support that had been given to Drc MoRo Foran (of

Dalhousie UniversitY9 later with Nova Scotia Technical College) which had been first given to him by the interim Department of Reconstruction and Supply for his study of masonry performance in

the Maritime Provinces o The Division has valued its continued

association with Dro Foran in this field of mutual interesto

Through the studies of Dr o Foran9 and through other

channels£, information reached the Division which seemed to leave no doubt but that there was a very real problem in obtaining

satisfactory performance of masonry buildings in the Maritime

Provincesc It was accordingly decided to conduct a survey of the

situatior. and this was carried out in the fall of

1950

by To Ritchie,

Assistant Research Officer of the Building Materials Section of

the Division_v assisted by ｾｷｯ Joro Lawson (an architect of wide

･ｸｰ･ｲｩ･ｮ｣･ｾ then with DBR ) ｡ｮ､ｾ to a minor extentp by the writer o

Mrc Ritchie is a ceramic engineer who is specializing in research

into brick and masonry problemso

The survey confirmed beyond all doubt that a problem did exist but showed that it was not confined to masonry buildings o The climate of the four Atlantic prOVinces of Canada is apparently

unusually severe upon all buildingso Accordingly, the Division

decided to embark upon a ｬｯｮｧｾｴ･ｲｭ study of the performance of

buildings subject to severe weathering conditions and this is now underway at the Building Research Centre in Ottawa o

The results of Mro Ritchie7s _{survey were very helpful to}

the Division in the orientation of its own program_D even though

the opinions which are revealed were most diverse o It has now been

decided to make copies of this report privately available to those

who are concerned with this problemo This has been done in view of

the decision of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada to

devote the technical sessions of its

1955

Annual Meeting in Halifax

to a consideration of this problem of building performanceo It is

a happy and fortunate coincidence that the Division will officially

announce9 at that time₉ the opening of its own Maritime Regional

Station in Halifax later this yearo The problem of the performance of

buildings under Maritime climatic conditions will initially occupy a dominant position in the overall program of this Station o

Although this is an essentially private ､ｯ｣ｵｭ･ｮｴｾ it has

been deemed advisable to cloak with anonymity the identity of most of those with whom the author had discussions which were so useful

to him that they call for mention in this Reporto It is hoped that

this protection (for which the present writer assumes responsibility)

will be found to ｾ･ reasonably effective and that all those concerned,

(ii)

accurately reported. A few reports of interviews have been omitted

in the case of some whose specialized knowledge could not possibly

be impersonalizedo The Division of Building Research is most

grateful to all those who helped Mrn Ritchie and here records the

thanks which were expressed privately immediately following the survey.

Readers of this ｒ･ｾｯｲｴ are requested to note carefully

the following special ｮｯｴ･ｳｾ

10 Although this Report deals with masonry buildings only,

other types of buildings in the Maritime Provinces are subject to problems of unsatisfactory performance;

2. Although this Report deals with the Maritime Provinces

only, trouble with rain penetration through masonry walls is by no means confined to that part of Canada: some of the worst cases known to the Division have occurred in Toronto;

3.

Despite the undoubted beauties of the Maritime Provinces,

and their many other advantages9 it has to be admitted

that their climates are severe with respect to weathering of materials; a study of climatic variations in the

Maritimes in relation to the performance of buildings is therefore a major part of the current DBR. study;

40 The Division is only one of several agencies concerned with

this problem: it hopes to continue its own studies in

continuing and close association with all others interested in the problem; and

5.

This Report is a factual record only. It contains no

conclusions (none, at least9 of the DiVision) but represents

a record of one phase of the essential background study for its own research program.

Ottawa, May,

1955.

Robert F. Legget, Director.

A SURVEY OF' THE Pf2,RFOnMANCE OF MASO:JRY STRUCTUHES IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES OF CANADA

by ｔｾ Ritchie

The purpose of this investigation was to survey

generally the performance of masonry structures in the Maritime

Provinces of Canada" The survey was instituted because of

inquiries to the National Research Council regarding several instances of serious deterioration of masonry structures in that region of Canadao

Previous to this survey, an inquiry into the performance of various types of masonry structures in Eastern Canada had been

undertaken by the Department of Reconstruction and Supply Ｈｒ･ｳｾ｡ｲ｣ｨ

and Development ｂｲ｡ｮ｣ｨＩｾ under the direction of Dro MoRo Foran, of

the Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax. This

work, for which financial assistance had been provided by the

National Research Council, starting in

1946,

was carried out at

Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Technical College, Halifax. The investigations were concluded when the Department of

Reconstruction and Supply ended its functions as a Government Department; no results of the work have been publishedo

Scope of this Survey

In this survey, visits were made to various centres

in the Maritime Provinceso In each of these a number of masonry

buildings, presumed to be representative, were examined0 In

addition, interviews were arranged with architects, engineers, contractors, and others interested in the construction and

maintenance of masonry buildings, to discuss the performance of

ｭｾｳｯｮｲｹ in the places visitedo

The centres visited in the survey were Halifax and

Sydney, Nova Scotia; sto , John is, Newfoundland; Charlottetown,

Prince Edward Island; and Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton

in New Brunswick. The survey began in the latter part of

October, and was concluded in the' first week of December,

1950.

The author was accompanied by

Mr

o Joro Lawson, an architect at

that time on the staff of the Division of Building Research,

for that part of the survey from November 22'0 In Sto John' s ,

Newfoundland, the author was joined by Mr'o RoFo Legget, Director

of the Division of Building Researcho The itinerary of this

2

-BUILDINGS EXAMINED Nova Scotian Hotel, Halifax

The Nova Scotian Hotel is one of the largest buildings

in Halifax, being about eight or nine storeys in height. It was

erected in 1930 for the Canadian National Railways, and the C.N.R.

station, a three-storey building, adjoins the hotel. I stayed

at the hotel during my visit to HaLifax from October 30 to.

November 13, and from time to time examined parts of ito It is

situated near the wat0rfront, its south and east walls facing

Halifax Harbour. It is ｾｮ a well-exposed Loc atrd on ,

Tpe building is of steel-framed construction. The.

main floor wall,s are of, artificial (concrete) stone masonry, as

are the walls of the adjoining railway station. The upper walls

of the hotel are of brick ,masonry, with trim and belt courses of

natural stone. Roof gardens on the upper floors are enclosed by

parapet walls. The brick walls are of 12-inch thickness, of

solid brickwork. This is backed by tile which forms a base for

plastering.

In my talk with }w< A, he said that shortly after

cdmpletion of the hotel, rain penetration of the walls took place

and this has been a problem ever since. After each rain, he said,

a check is made of each room to determine the extent of leakage,

for which new sources seem to be developing all the time. At

present, he said, a crew of ten men is engaged in chipping out

and

replacing mortar. Mr • .A thought that some of the trouble was

due to the parapet walls and roof gardens which collect raip'and

snow. The artificial stone masonry of the main floor of the

hotel, and of the station, is 4nattractive in appearance, and

seems ｾｯ have been treated on the surface. ｃｯｮｳｩ､ｾｲ｡｢ｬ･ staining

was observed in many ｬｯ｣｡ｾｩｯｮｳｯ The brickwork of the building

is, also very una,ttractive. Many of the bricks contain fine

cracks, and there are many large cracks throughout the masonry.

These have been patched up and arp conspicuouso Around windows

and over cornices an asphaltic material has been applied,

aijparently as a "water-proofing" treatment. In several locations

. oh ｾｮｴ･ｲｩｯｲ walls, deterioration of plaster and staining was

observed. One case of this is shown in Figo 2.

,

Mr. B said that the brickwork was extremely difficult

to removejl the bricks being ,very hard, as was the mortar. He

ｳ｡ｩｾ he ｨ｡､ＮｰｲｾｶｩｯｵｳｬｹＬｦｩｬｬ･､ a vertioal crack of I inch in width

down one wall of the building. Mr. B said that a great' deal l o f

the copper roof coverings and flashings used in the building have

to be r-epLaced due to Ｇｴｨｾ severe carro sion which has taken place

in them..

In the later stages of the survey the Nova Scotian

3

-been a ,serious nroblem; rain has passed through the solid l2-inch

brick wallso The building was discussed, also, with Messrs. D.

They said that the building has been a ｰｾｯ｢ｬ･ｭ since it waa built.

In general, but not with reference to the Nova Scotian Hotel in particular, they thour;ht that workmanship is of great importance

in the resistance, of brick masonry to rain penetration. Provincial Archives Building, Dalhousie University, Halifax

This is a three-storey stone structure which was erected

in 19290 It was examined on November 1 and 2. The foundation is

sawn limestone, and the main walls are of rough field stones of I

quartzite laid in random rubble style. Parapet walls of limestone

have been usedo

Mro E, in discussing the building, said that it has

had a long history of Leakag e , He said that .coLour-Le s s

water-proofers have been used on the walls and have been successful, to

some extent, in reducing the amount of'leakage.

.Mr.

F showed me

the building and said that it has never been rain resistant.

,Leakage has occurred through the-walls, around windows, through the

parapet walls, and through the roof. The original wall construction

was a facing of field stone,an air space and tile, and behind

the tile, gypsum tile was, installed which was plastered. The

space in the wall was subsequently filled with concrete, according

to Y;r0 F0

This building was discussed in an interview I had with

Mro Go He said that the Archives Building has given a great

deal of trouble from leakage, some of which was caused by a faulty roof, and by the use of Indiana limestone in copings and trimo

He said this stone is porous when dressed, but on exposure normally (but not in Halifax) develops a skin of hardened material which

greatly reduces its nervlous natureo This does not take place

in Halifax, he said, and the stone allows passage of water e Mro G

said that a high cement mortar was used in the field stone masonry of the building which, in shrinking on curing, produced cracks o

He said also that the stones themselves have minute cracks

through which water eQuId passe

'In examining this bUilding, I saw much interior damage

to plaster, especially around 'windowso The mortar joints were

seen to be over I inch wide in placeso The exterior walls have

a shiny appearance which may be due to the waterproofing

4

-United Memorial Church, Kaye St., Halifax

This buildin;- Has examined twice on the second occasion

in the company of !-1re U': The building was erected in 1920,

replacing a church on the ｳ｡ｾ･ site which was destroyed in the

13xplosion of munition ships in Halifax Harbour in 1916. The

walls are of red brick masonry trimmed with stone and buff brick masonry.

At the time of the visit, extensive repairs were being made to the tower of the church, a crew of seven men removing and

replacing bricks in the tower. It was seen that other repairs

have also been made to the wallso The masonry of this building

is judged to be in a condition of deterioration. Extensive

cracking was seen in the buttresses, and deterioration of mortar

seemed to have occurred on all walls. The east wall of the

building has bulged out (estimated at least 2 inches at the farthest point), and pieces of mortar were seen projecting from the face of the wall.

The walls of the tower ｡ｲｾ of solid brickwork, unfinished

on the inside, and the inner surfaces were observed to be stained,

as if from dampne s s , Mr .., H estimated the present repairs to

cost $40,0000 He said repairs were made to the masonry a few

years ago. Parts of the brick walls of the building, which has

a concrete foundation, extend below ground level. The south

wall of the building is shown ih Fig.

3;

Fig. 4 shows a part of

the east wall in which extensive cracking and decay of the masonry has taken place o

Halifax County Academy ("Old High Schoolw" Halifax

The corner stone of this building, which is located

at Sackville and Brunswick Streets, bears the date 1878.. The

building was examined on November 7 and 8. The walls are of

red brickwork, with some buff brick designs set in. The foundation,

window sills, and some trim stone are of graniteo A great deal

of ornamental brickwork has been used in arches over doors and

windows, and 'at the roof. The roof is the mansard type, covered

with slate, and overhangs the walls to some extent. The brick

walls are two storeys high.

The north wall of the building was open at the time of

the visit, due to the construction of an addition to the buildingo

It was seen that the wall construction is of cavity or hollow

type, consisting of two walls of

8

inches of brickwork separated

by a 4-inch air space, and held together by large metal ties of

- 5 ..

the building are of ｢ｲｩ｣ｫｾｯｲｫ of thin joints (apparently pressed

bricks were used); at the back of the building the joints are wider

and the bricks not of such accurate shape as in the fronto In

all ｷ｡ｬｬｳｾ ｨｯｷ･ｶ･ｲｾ the masonry appears to be in excellent

condition with no indication of deterioration. Lord Nelson Hotel? Halifax

The Lord Nelson Ho t-eL is a large building in Halifax.

No examination was made of the building, but,I talked with

Mro I about it on November 100 He said that rain penetration of

the walls has been a problem in 'the bUildlnge When leakage

takes place it is always a result of a heavy gale and a'heavy

rainfall o He said that rains'accompanied by light winds do not

cause leakage in the buildingo

Waterproofing ｴｾ･｡ｴｭ･ｮｴｳ have been used with some

ｳｵ｣｣･ｳｳｾ according to 'Mro I, but he did not know details nor

could he supply information on the wall construction of the hoteL

Mro G had said that Indiana limestone had been used in the trim

of the brickwork of the hot eL, "in the course of an interview

previously reportedv .

Armouries Building, Halifax

I examined this building on November 20 ' It is. a

large structure of 'natural stone masonry," on North Park st0 ,

Halifax o It was built in 18990 The walls are of yonsiderable

thickness

(4

or

5

feet); the exterior is reddish-brown sandstone,

the interior pressed brick o Nova Scotian sandstQne was usedo

Surface decay of some of .the stones? in the nature. of er-o sLon ,

has occurredo Metal members have .been set in stones around some

of the windows9 and ｳｯｭｾ of these stones 'have been fracturedll

apparently from corrosion of the metal o One case of this is

shown in Figo

50

Church of England InstituteR

414

BarringtonSto j Halifax

: This is a three-storey- br-I'ck buildi,ng \which was er-ect ed

in 1888 (one of the stones in an arch is inscribed with this

date)o The "brick walls of the building are t'rinnned with stone,

and much ornate brickwork has been used o' A slate-covered roof

of the mansard type overhangs the walls to some extent. I

examined this building on November

3

and

4,

and talked about it

'with Mro Jo He said that to his knowledge the building has

required no repair work to the masonry, and that no dampness has

appeared on the inside wall surfaceso The masonry of this

building seemed to me to be in ･ｾ｣･ｬｬ･ｮｴ condition and I could

6

-Dominion ｅｸｰ･ｲｩｭ･ｮｴｾｬ Fisheries BUilding, Halifax

This building was examined on November Ｓｾ It is a

two-storey brick structure which was erected in 1930. At present

the building is being enlarged, an additional floor is being

added, and extra rooms are being made on the east ｳｩ､･ｾ The,

building is located close to Halifax Harbour. The walls of the

old building are of brick and ｴｩｬ･ｾ The tile was plastered on

the inner surface to form the wall finish.

According to Mro K the building has been leaky, and

it was seen that the brickwork had been painted. The walls of

the new parts of the building are to be of brick and tile, the

brickwork being plastered on the interior, according to Mr. K.

The mortar is to be-of ｣ｯｭｰｯｳｩｴｩｯｾｬ part cement, 1 part lime

and

5

parts sand. and the joints are to be raked out as the

ｾｲｩ｣ｫｷｯｲｫ is laid. Subsequently, a proprietary mortar will be

used to point,up the jointi.

Maritime Telephone and Telegraph Co. BUilding, Halifax

This building is on Hollis St" I examined it and

talked with

Mr.

L about it on November 6. The building is five

storeys in height of yellow brick masonry ｷ｡ｬｬｳｾ ｍｲｾ L said

that the building has given considerable trouble from rain

penetration of the brick wallso Under worst conditions of

leakage, he said, water swept across the floors of the offices. He said that there has been a'lot of replacement of bricks and mortar to the building, and there has been no recent trouble from leakage, although he said he expected a recurrence.

Mr. M, with whom I talked on Novo

14,

referred to

this building and said that originally it had been faced with bricks from Toronto which could not stand up in the climate of the area) and that these were replaced by yellow bricks from

the United States.

Mr.

L said that leaky walls have been a

problem vJith other brick buildings which have been erected in various parts of the Maritime provinces, and which were known to him.

All Saints Cathedral, Halifax

This large building of stone masonry was examined on

November

4,

T-Tr. N, and several others with whom I had, discussions

in Halifax, referred to this building as having had considerable trouble from penetrati.on of ra.in through the walls, and from

deterioration of .the inflsonryｾ At the time of my visit s c af'f'o LdLng

was erected against the walls near the side entrance1 but no work

ｾ 7

-In general, the masonry of the building is in poor condition, with extensive cracking and deterioration of the

mortar. Concrete masonry units appear to have been used'as .

trim for the ｢ｵｴｴｲ･ｳｳ･ｳｾ and severe decay was obBerved in some

such units o A photograph of this decay in a buttress, i . shown

in Fige 6e This photograph also shows the cracking which was

ｯ｢ｳ･ｲｶ･ｾ in other ｢ｵｴｴｾ･ｳｳ･ｳＮ

Maritime Business College, Halifax

This building is on College Sto, opposite the Medical

and Dental Library of Dalhousie, Universityo It is 8. massive

three-storey structure surmounted by a mansard type roofe

Concrete blocks made of slag cement were used for the exterior walls, and there is considerable ornamental masonry in the form

of small towerso The building was erected in

1906.

Deterioration

of a lintel in a basement window, apparently caused by rusting

of reinforcing metal, was observed. Other than thisp however,

the masonry 'seemed to be in excellent conditione

Capital Theatre BuildinS

_l

Ha!!fax

The Capital Theatre Building is a large yellow brick

building on Barrington Sto

Mr

o 0, with whom I talked on Nov. 9,

said that the building was opened in

1930p

and considerable

trouble has been experienced from rain leakage. He said the

wall consists of brick facing and tile backing. ';'Wire ｭｾＬ［ｓｨ

attached to the tile has been plasteredo It was seen tnat

considerable deterioration of plaster has occurred on the north

and east ｷ｡ｬｬｾ of the building. At the time of my visit the

exterior- of the east wall was beigs repaired by mortar repointing and by the filling of large vertical cracks which are shown in Fig. 70

Houses of Drummond Court Projectp CoM.H.C.,' Halifax

I was taken by

Mr.

P9 to examine'some houses in the

Drummond Court Projecto These are of brick veneer construction

and were ･ｲｾ｣ｴ･､ in

1946

｡ｮ､ｾｾＹＴＷｯ Mro P said that there has

been trouble in the buildings from leakage of rain through

the walls. Considerable cracking between bricks and mortar

in the walls of many of the houses was observed, and many nail holes were seen to have been left unfilled in the mortare

= 8 ｾ

Civil Engineering ｂｵｩｬ､ｩｮｧｾ Nova Scotia Technical College and

Sto MaryYs Cathedralp Halifax

These buildingsg which were under construction at

the time of my visit were not examined in detail, but are

mentioned because the walls of both are of monolithic reinforced

concrete rather than of conventional unit masonryG The latter

building is to be faced with quartzite stone masonry, the former

is to be paintedo Mro ｏｾ when interviewed on November 1, said

that the walls of the Civil Engineering building are of

monolithic concrete because it was considered that unit masonry

walls are unsuitable due to the danger of leakage0

Anglican Cathedral, Sto John's

The Anglican Cathedral of ｓｴｾ John the Baptist is

a large stone masonry ｢ｵｩｬ､ｩｮｧｾ between Gower and Duckworth

Streets, Sto John'so I examined 'the building on ｎｯｶ･ｭ｢･ｾ

15,

in company with Mrc RoF. Legget, Director of the Division of

Building Researcho At the time of our visit repairs were

being made to the interior masonry of the building by a mason and his assistanto

The walls of the building are of thick stone masonry which has been plastered on the interior surfaces, with the

exception of trim stoneso These interior wall surfaces are

generally in an extremely advanced condition of decay; large deposits of efflorescence and extensive staining with the occurrence of decay in the stonework give a very unsightly

appearance to the otherwise beautiful buildingo The condition

of the interior masonry is shown in Figs. 8 and

90

There is no doubt that the maintenance of the

masonry of the building is an ･ｸｰ･ｮｳｾｶ･ propositiono The

building was constructed in several stages and was destroyed

partially by fireo It was started in ｬＸＴＷｾ completed about

1885,

destroyed by fire in

1892,

and reconstruction was

under-taken in

1893.

A detailed report of a study of the conditions'

. of the building was made iri

1938

by Mro WoHo Wood and Sir Giles

Gilbert Scott, Peterborough, England, a copy of which was given

to Mro'Legget by the Dean of the Cathedral, Very Rev o RoSo

Rayson o

This report is a detailed study of the performance

of the structure and the materials used in it, with ｲ･｣ｯｭｭ･ｮ､｡ｾ

tions for repairs to correct the troubles which have occurredo This valuable study is appended to this report as Appendix A,

- 9

ｾ

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Sto John's

This is a large stone masonry building, which was

examined on November 15 by Mro RoFo Legget and the author&

It is a massive structure, with two large towers, and is

located on a hill in an exposed position in Sto John'so The

masonry seems to be in poor conditione Extensive cracking in

stones of the trim of both towers was observed, and there is considerable staining of the interior surfaces of walls, as if

from dampness o Mro ｒｾ with whom we spoke briefly said that

leakage of rain into the building has been a problemo

Ste Andrew's Presbyterian Church₂ Sto John's

This is a red brick building on Harvey Rdo, which

was examined on November 160 It was built in 1926, of bricks

made in Great Britain o Extensive staining of interior wall

surfaces was observed, as if caused by leakage, and there is

considerable cracking in the brickworko Some of the bricks

have decayedo

,

Gower Street United Church, Sto John's

This building was examined on November 160 It is

a brick masonry structure, erected in 1926, in which bricks

from Great Britain were used o It was apparent in examining

the building that much repair work has been done to the brickwork in the past, and at present the walls are in poor

conditiono Many of the bricks are badly decayed, and, in

addition, there is considerable cracking in the masonryo A

white salt deposit was observed on the surface of many of the

decayed brickso A part of the west wall of this building is

shown in Figs 10, which illustrates the decay in bricks and the cracking of the masonryo

Bishopfie1d College, St o John's

I examined this building ｯｾ November 16, in

company with Mro So Bishopfield College is a private institution,

the present building having been constructed in ＱＹＲＶｾ to the

design of an American architecto According to Mro ｾｯＬ Canadian

or American bricks were used in its constructiono It is; a two=

storey red brick building of brick facing to tile backingo A

ｾ 10 =

This building is Itthe ultimate" in masonry

deteriorationo The original brickwork in large areas of the

walls has been replaced$ and most of the original brickwork

remaining is in an advanced state of decayo I was told that

the building originally cost $300,000 to build, and to date

$80,000 have been spent in repairs to the masonryo It was pointed out that repairs are required faster than they can be

effected.

Considerable spalling of the original brickwork

was observed, and also vertical cracking throughout the wallso

The large areas of replaced bricks (in which local clal bricks

and concrete bricks were used, according to Mro S) are of quite

different colour than the ｯｲｩｧｩｮ｡ｬｾ giving the building a very

unsightly appearance o

Mro S said that the architect who designed the

building had practised in the United States and was unfamiliar

with the severity of weather conditions in Newfoundlando The

extent of damage to this building is indicated by the photographs

of the walls, shown in Figse 11 and 12. The brickwork which is

of darker colour is the original, it can be. seen that almost all of the parapet walls and extensive areas of the main walls have required replacement of the brickworko

Prince of Wales College_R Charlottetown

This building was examined by Mro Jolo Lawson and. the

author, with Mro T, on November 22. -,It is a' two-storey brick

building, with stone ｴｲｩｭｾ of very attractive appearance0

It was built in

1933

at Kent and Weymouth Streets, the location

being rather exposedo

Mro T said that the building 'has given considerable

trouble from rain ｬ･｡ｫ｡ｧ･ｾ which he said had occurred on the

south and east wallse He showed us several interior walls

which were badly stained which he said was caused by the leakage.

The exterior wall construction, according to Mr o T, is brick

facing to 12 inches of tile, which is plastered to form the

interior finisho False header bricks and a ｣･ｭ･ｮｴｾｬｩｭ･ mortar

(1 volume cement to 1 volume lime) were ｵｳ･､ｾ The bricks were

made at the Chipman, NoBo plant of the LoEo Shaw Co., Ltdo Some of the mortar joints were observed to be quite wide, up

to

3/4

inch in placeso

Mr. T said that extensive repairs have been made

to ｴｾ･ brickwork in attempting to overcome the problem of

leakage0 These included repointing of mortar, application of

ｾ 11 =

interior ｷ｡ｬｬｳｾ and, in addition .. the application of wax to

exterior surfaces of walls which had leaked o According to

Mro T there has been no leakage for two yearse He ｳ｡ｾ､ that

in Charlottetown rain is often accompanied by high winds, and as a result .. it strikes buildings almost horizontallYe

West Kent School, Charlottetown

This old brick building located on Kent and West

Streets was examined on November 23. It is a ｦｯｵｲｾｳｴｯｲ･ｹＬ

red brick stru0ture which was described by Mro U as being

85

years old. It is covered with a mansard type of roof which

overhangs the walls to some extent o The brick walls have been

projected out at the top (corbelled out)o The brickwork of

this building is apparently in excellent condition and there seem to have been no adverse effects from its many years of

expo sure0

Court House, Charlottetown

This is a two-storey brick building which MreU

said is

80

years oldo It is somewhat similar in construction

to the West Kent School o A mansard roof has been used, the

brick walls projected out at the wall top to give some overhang

to the roof. The brickwork of this building appears to be in

excellent conditiono

Charlottetown Hospital, Charlottetown_,

This building was examined on November 23e An

addition and repairs to it were being made at the time of

the visit, and Mr. JoIo Lawson ｡ｮｾ the author talked about it

with Mr. V and

Mr.

Uo The Hospital is on Haviland St. and

was built in 19220 Buff bricks which

Mr.

U said were made

by the Citadel Brick Co. of Quebec were used, the walls being

12 inches of solid brickwork o

The main walls of the building appear to be in sound condition, however, there 1s considerable deterioration of the bricks and mortar in the parapet wall, particularly near the

roof lineo Here bricks have been displaced outwards as much

as 2 inches from the plane of the wall, and mortar also. Mre U

said that there has been rain leakage into the upper floor, but not the lower floor of the building, and he thought that deterioration of the parapet wall at the roof line was due to the freezing of moisture between the concrete roof slab and the wall, which caused the parapet wall to be thrust out.

ｾ 12

-School Building at Barachois, New Brunswick

Mrn W took Mro JoIo Lawson and the author to see

this building on November 27. He said that it is a new brick

building in which rain penetration,has occurredo Present

during the visit also were Mro X and Mro Y of Moncton, both architectso

The school building is at, Barachois about

5

miles

from Shediaco Northumberland Strait is about a mile or two

to the north and the building is in

an

exposed position o Mro W

said it was erected in

1948.

It is a two-storey building of

which the exterior wall construction is face brick which has been plastered on the interior surfaceg separated by a narrow

space but attached by metal ｾｴｾｳ to 8-inch tile backingo A

concrete foundation was used o The cavity in the brick walls

was not drained in any way, apparently0

, '

Mro Y said that a mortar composition was specified

of 1 part cement to

3

parts sand, with an addition of lime

allowed up to 1/10 part lime putty. According to Mro X,

howeverf,J the actual mortar used consisted of" 1 part cement,

1 part lime, and Ｓｾ parts sand; this was ｣ｨ｡ｾｧ･､ during

construction to 1 part cement, 2 parts lime and Ｖｾ parts sando

The mortar joints were observed to have heavy efflorescence, the white salt deposits projecting in places

i

inch from the surface of ' the mortar. Mro X said such

efflorescence is common in New Brunswick and he attributed it to the salt content of beach sand which is often used for masonry mor-tar-s ,

He said that the south and west walls of ｂ｡ｲｾ｣ｨｯｩｳ

school have leakedo After the first occurrence of leakage he

said that the south wall was tested by spraying water from a

gardentOn ito An hour and a half later water appeared on the

interi6r. He said that on subsequently drilling a hole in the

exterior brickwork at the foundation, large quantities of

water came auto Many fine hair-cracks were seen in the mortar

of this building and several nail holes had been left unfilled.

Mr. X said that other school buildings erected at the same

times to the same specifications, and of the same materials have given no trouble from'rain penetrat10no

13

-Princess Elizabeth School, Saint John I

The a.uthor and Mr. Je.I. Lawson were shown this

bUilding on November

30

by ｍ･ｳｳｲｳｾ Z and AAo They sa.id that

it was erected in

1949,

the exterior walls being of brickwork

of l2-inch thickness. The facing bricks were made by the

LoEo Shaw Coo,Ltd. at Chipman, NoB. and the facing was backed

with 8 inches of brickwork of bricks made by ｾ Anderson

Claybrick Company of Saint Johno The mortar used was of

composition 1 part cement, 2 parts lime and

6

parts sand, with

an integral waterproofero The exterior brick walls are load

bearing 0

The architects considered that the masonry had been

well built and well supervisedo Mr. Z said that the walls of

this building have leaked. The ｾｬ of the auditorium of the

building (behind the stage) is unfinished brickwork and was seen to be almost completely covered with efflorescence,

projecting in places from

1/4

to 1/2 inch from the surface.

Damp spots and staining were seen on this wall also. At the

front entrance of the building, stone masonry has been used. Long cracks were seen in this between many of the stones

and the mortar, especially in the vertical joints. According

to Mro Z the stones are New Brunswick sandstone.

Saint John General Hospital, Saint John

This large building was ･ｾｩｮ･､ on November

30;

the author and Mr. Lawson were accompanied by Messrs.

Z.

and

AA and ABo Mro Z said that a firm of architects in Chicago

had designed the building. The hospital had been built in

1930;

it is a five-storey structure located in an exposed position (on a hill) in Saint John.

I

Mro Z said that the walls were of 12 inches of

brickwork0 Buff Scotch firebrick were used as facing,

backed with ordinary brick and then with hollow clay bricko o

Belt courses and copings were of Indiana limestoneo Several

terraces were built in the upper storeys of the buildingo

According to Mr. AB there has been rain leakage

through the walls, around windows, and in addition, through

terrace floors of the building. The latter have all been

covered over and are not now in use. He thought leakage

may have occurred also through the limestone trimo From

time to time rooms have tO,beput out of use on account of

the leakageo A "waterproofing" treatment had been made to

the building, according to Mr. AB but no details were known

14

-King Edward School, Saint John

This building was examined on November

30;

the

author and

Mr.

Lawson were accompanied by Messrs. Z and AA.

The building is about

4

years old, a two-storey structure

of solid brick walls about 12 inches thick. According to

Mr. Z the bricks used were the product of the Chipman plant

of the L.E. Shaw Company Limited.

The architects said that this building has leaked

severely in rain storms. A school official, who was present

when the visit was made, said that when a heavy rain occurs a man is kept on duty in the gYmnasium (apparently a bad place for leakage) to mop the floor and so remove the water

which comes through the walls. He said that previously the

floor had been flooded a number of times by leakage.

Mr. Z and Mr. AA said that there has been leakage

into the basement through the concrete walls due to inadequate

drainage around the building. Some deterioration of the

mortar in the parapet walls of this building was observed. The architects had said that the workmanship in erecting the brickwork of the building was ratner poor •

t:

Simonds District School, Saint John

Mr. AC took Mr. J.I. Lawson and the author to see

this building on December 1. This school has been recently

completed. The walls are of brick masonry (12 inches) of

bricks made by the L.E. Shaw Company Limited at Chipman, N.B. Damp areas were observed on the walls of the gymnasium, which

are unfinished brickwork on the interior surface. A workman

said that there had been leakage through the wall and on to the flooro

Immigration Building, Saint John

This building was examined briefly on December I'

by J.I. Lawson and the author. It had been recently opened.

It is a large two-storey brick structure of ｷｨｩ｣ｨｾＮ AD

said there has been trouble from rain leakage and also from

severe cracking in partition walls.. The brickwork was seen

to be provided with weep holes along the concrete foundation. The brickwork seemed to have been erected in a hurry·, from its appearance.

15

-INTERVIEWS Interview No.1

The following are the comments of an architect with whom

I visited several buildings in Halifax on November

4,

8,

and 110

He said that deterioration of masonry buildings has been a problem in Halifax and much of it he attributed to improper design and

poor workmanship. He mentioned the Oxford st o Methodist Church,

a brick building, as an example of extren1e deterioration in masonry. This building had to be torn down 20 years after erection due to

the condition of the masonry. He mentioned All Saints Cathedral in

Halifax as another example of serious masonry deterioration. He

said that many inefficient contractors have operated in Halifax, and this aCcoilllts for many of the buildings which have given trouble.

He said that the use of insulation in masonry walls may have adverse effects, due to the masonry being cooler than otherwise,

and its conditions of weathering thus more severe o He claimed that

most buildings erected about 1900 or earlier were built of 12 inches

of brickwork with furring strips, lath, and ｰｬ｡ｳｴ･ｲｾ although many

buildings in Halifax at that time were of hollow wall construction. Lime mortar and wetted bricks were used, and he said that it was

common for bricklayers to lay more than 2,000 bricks a dayo In his

work he specifies for brick masonry a mortar of 1 part lime putty,

1 part portland cement, and

6

parts sand. Proper workmanship and

proper design of buildings were stressed as essential in obtaining satisfactory performance of masonry.

Interview No.2

ｔｨｾｳ interview was with an architect with whom I

examined-several buildings in Halifax. The following are his comments. He

said that a major problem with masonry buildings, particularly brick masonry, in the Halifax area is leakage of rain through the

walls0 He claimed that this is a relatively new problem, and was

unknown when he was a young man. He said that there are numerous masonry

buildings in Halifax built over 60 years ago which are in excellent

condition and which have given no trouble from dampness or deterioration of the masonry.

He claimed that a reason for damp penetration of brick walls is the change which has taken place in the properties of bricks used. The bricks used now, he said, are of laminated structure from the extrusion method of manufacture and are of non-absorptive properties

which make them unsuitable. The use of lime mortar and thin mortar

joints he said was a necessity in securing damp-proof brickworko He

said that cement mortar used with the bricks supplied in Halifax

cannot give a dry wall. In Halifax it has been his experience ｴｨｾｴ

16

-He took me to examine several buildings in Halifax. An old brick building at 301 Barrington St., said to be more

than 60 years old, appeared to be in sound condition. The

mortar joints were very thin. He showed me the Manual Training

School, which he gave as an example of excellent durability and

performance of brickwork. He pointed out also the Deaf and Dumb

School, a brick building apparently in excellent condition,

which he said was over 60 years old. The High School, or Halifax

Academy, built in 1878, was referred to as an example of durable brickwork.

He showed me the old St. Matthews Church on Barrington

st.,

the walls of which he said were of brickwork, treated to

resemble stonework. This was done by mixing dry sand, litharge

and boiled linseed oil, which was trowelled in two thin coats on

the walls which had been brushed with raw linseed oil. He said

the treatment was introduced to Halifax from England. It gave a

non-brittle rendering of attractive appearance which in weathering gradually wore away, he said.

He said that limestone, either Canadian or American (Indiana limestone has been used in Halifax) is not a suitable

stone for use in Halifax. He stressed the change in properties of

bricks, from soft to dense, as accounting for many of the defects

he thought common in brickwork in Halifax. He said that the

number of bricklayers who are real craftsmen has decreased. He

thought that the lime now used in masonry mortars is different

from that formerly used years ago, and that this may have influenced

the performance of masonry. In his opinion some trouble with

masonry buildings in the Halifax area was due to improper design of buildings by ItUpper Canadian" architects who were not familiar with the conditions of weathering in the area.

Interview No.3

The following are the comments of an architect whom I

interviewed in Halifax on November 10 and 14. He claimed that

modern masonry construction has given rise to numerous serious problems, and that the maintenance cost is out of all proportion to the initial cost of most masonry buildings erected in recent

yearso He said that before 1907 the quality of work performed by

the bricklayers was very high, but by 1923 the quality had much

declined. At present, in his opinion, there are very few good

bricklayers.

He said that mortar for brick masonry used in Halifax about 1900 was of composition 1 part lime putty, 1 part cement

(German or English) and 6 parts of sand. The cement used was

0:

quite different properties than the portland cement now used, dnd

the mortar possessed low shrinkage properties. Lime mortar was also

used to some extent, but required pointing, he said.

He gave as an example of brick masonry of high du, E.Ｉｬｾｩ ty

that of the Children's Hospital in Halifax, which was cons" c'u:."l;ed

17

-He said that the Y.M.C.A. building in Halifax built in

1929,

of brick facing and tile backing laid in cement mortar

has given trouble from damp penetration. He stated that almost

all the naval buildings at H.M.C. Dockyard have required extensive repairs to the masonry such as repointing of mortars and ttwater_

proofingtt_•

In his oplnlon defects in masonry buildings are associated with the following:

(a) Workmanship is of very poor quality and there is inadequate

supervision of masonry construction;

(b) Properties of masonry materials, both bricks and mortars,

have changed considerably;

(c) Concrete foundations used in brick buildings may not be

stable due to temperature and moisture changes and this leads to stresses in the brickwork: he said that there is a lack of affinity or compatibility between concrete and brick masonry; and

(d) Thrust on masonry walls may result from movements in

concrete roof slabs due to temperature and moisture changes, which may cause cracks.

He said that in general initial capital cost consideration is now of first importance in building, rather than stability of

the structure. High maintenance costs were resulting from this

situation. He said that engineers have replaced architects in the

design of many buildings; in many cases improper designs have resulted.

Interview No.

4:

On November 10, I interviewed an engineer who said that

most of the naval buildings at the Dockyard have been built of brick

and that rain penetration of them is a problem. He said that

considerable maintenance work, in repointing of mortar, has been

necessary with them. Proprietary ttwater-proofinglt treatments have

been used on some of the buildings. In his opinion variations in

size of bricks has been a problem. In the Camp Hill Military

Hospital, he said that fifty per cent more mortar was required than estimated due to wide variation in the size of bricks supplied.

Interview No •

.5.

A supplier of clay and shale bricks in the Maritime

Provinc9s was interviewed on October

31.

He said that dampness in

brick walls became a problem in the Halifax area between

1933

and

1935.

He said that his company has been in contact with an Amorican

expert in regard to the problem and were advised to recommend ｾｯｲ

use with their bricks a mortar of composition, 1 part lime, 1 part

18

-In his opinion, many old buildings of brickwork in Halifax are damp-free, because of the thickness of their walls

which are often 20 inches or more thick. Such walls could not

be built today. He thought that back-plastering (parging) of thJ

facing bricks of walls was very effective in keeping out dampness. He mentioned the Victoria General Hospital, a large

brick building in Halifax erected

4

or

5

years ago, as one which

has given no trouble from dampness. Mortar of 1 part cement,

2 parts ｬｩｭ･ｾ and 7 parts sand was used. The walls were about

12 inches thick.

He thought that the bricks widely used in the Maritime Provinces are generally of absorption (amount absorbed by long

immersion in water) between 1 and

5

per cent of the weight when

dryo

He said he thought the type of sand used for mortars in most areas of the Maritime region was too fine and probably

contributed to deterioration in masonry. A lime mortar is now

on the market, to which portland cement is added on the job to

bring it to the composition required. He said it is a lime-putty:

sand mixture, the putty being well aged before marketed.

Interviews Nos.

6, 7,

and

8

On November 2, I interviewed a Halifax architect in

company with two of his associates. He said that rain penetration

of masonry buildings is a problem in Halifax. In his opinion,

in the case of brick buildings in which bricks of one particular type were used, the bricks themselves were at fault.

He said that deterioration of masonry was often caused

by improperly designed ｲｯｯｦｾＬ by which water could enter the walls

from above and in freezing cause disruptIon in the masonr-y , It

was also mentioned that leakage of rain through brick walls is a

danger with any building being erected in the Halifax area. In his

opinion most bricks being supplied for construction are crackedg

and these cracks allow the rain to enter the wall. Another .problem

that was pointed out was the variation in size of bricks supplied, by which thin joints are impossible to construct.

He said that his firm advises the use of a proprietary

mortar for brickwork. The bricks are laid up in ordinary mortar

with the face joints left open for about an inch from the face,

and later pointed with the proprietary material. This results, he

said, in masonry which does not require rep ointing for at least five years.

The firm has designed a number of institutional buildings in Halifax, some of which were of brick veneer construction; a

wood frame of studs and sheathing were used, with sheathing paper

and wire mesh applied to the exterior. The brick facing was

back-plastered, which adhered to the mesh. It was also ment.Loae d

19

-the problem of dampness in masonry, but not with succes&, and it is a problem of wide concern.

Interview No.9

This interview was with an architect in Halifax on

November 3. He said that a problem in masonry buildings is

dampness, and he thought that poor workmanship was the cause

of most cases of its occurrence. Most of the buildings he has

examined in Halifax, he said, are not adequately protected by

flashings and damp courses. In his opinion, much building is

done in "boom" times when demand for tradesmen is high and as a result the quality of work decreases.

He mentioned the Dominion Experimental Fisheries Building, Halifax, as a building which has given trouble from the penetration

of rain. It is a brick and tile structure. He mentioned that in

treating leakage of rain through brick walls, he has specified the application of linseed oil on the exterior face.

Interview No. 10

This interview, on November 13, was with a Halifax

bricklayer. He said that bricklayers prefer to work on solid

brick walls due to the longer time required, as opposed to brick

with tile backing. The latter type is preferred by contractors,

he said, and they also prefer wide joints in brickwork since it makes for faster construction.

Interview No. 11

On November 8, I had a brief interview with an engineer who said that with the exception of the Provincial Archives Building

(Which is described elsewhere), University buildings of random

rubble masonry of field stones, and the Forest Building, the buildings

on the University ｧｲｯｵｮ､ｾ have been satisfactorv in nerformance. TbA

Forest Building was built in 1890. It was pointed out that trouble is

caused from leakage through and around decaying wooden window frameso

He said that the Medical and Dental Library, built in 1938,

is of cavity wall construction, the interior wall being of ｴｩｬ･ｾ

the exterior of brick. It has not given trouble. The walls of the

Medical Science Building, and the Public Health Clinic were constructed

of concrete faced with brick, according to him. The brickwork was

built in steps, with concrete placed behind it, and in front of form

work to form a backing to the brickwork. He said these buildings

have been satisfactory in regard to the masonry. Interview No. 12

This interview was with an engineer in Halifax on Nc vember 13. He said that his firm has several brick buildings in Halifax, whIch

have required regular repairs in the replacement of bricks and rt::>rtar ..

On this account, a new building recently completed by the ｦｩｲｭｾ has

- 20 ｾ

Interview Noo

13

On November

6

9 I interviewed two members of a construction

firm which has constructed many masonry buildings in the Halifax

areao The officials of this company said thatp for the most partp

masonry buildings give little troubleo Random rubble masonry of

ironstone or quartzitev such as was used in some buildings at

Dalhousie UniversitY9 they said has given trouble from dampness due to the wide joints required in such masonryo

They saidp however, that to their knowledge there are no

problems in brick construction9 and they knew of no buildings in the

Halifax area of brickwork which have performed unsatisfactorilyo

Interview Noo

14

On November

6

9 an engineer in the City of Halifax was

interviewedo He said that leaky masonry walls have been a problem

in Halifax for many ｹ･｡ｲｳｾ and he was of the opinion that weather

conditions here are very severe on masonryo He said that driVing rains

are often followed by sudden temperature changes to below the freezing

point0 He mentioned the Nova Scotian Hotel_D Capital Theatrep and

Sto Andrewus Church as masonry buildings in Halifax in which leakage

has been a.problem o He said that the Public Service Commission is constructing a large building of walls of concrete blocks in which

expanded slag is the aggregatep the walls to be painted on the outer

surface with cement painty and on the inner surface with asphaltic

material0

Interview No o 1$

On November 16₉₁ interviewed an architect who practises

in Stu Johngs o He said that he rarely designs buildings of brick

masonry because of the diffiCUlty of securing brickwork which is

resistant to damp penetrationo He now designs buildings of reinforced

concrete walls o The cost of bricks and labour were said to be quite

high5 bricks from Halifax cost

$90

to

$100

per thousand on the wharf o

He said that bricks generally are in short supplyo He showed me

several buildings in Sto JohnVs including Bishopfield ｃｯｬｾ･ｧ･Ｙ Prince

of Wales ｃｯｬｬ･ｧ･ｾ Memorial University Colleges and Holloway Schoolo

Interview Noo 16

This interview was with a bricklayer in Sto JohnUs on

November 160 He said that many masonry buildings in St. JohnVs have

been defective in that rain leakage through the walls has occurredp

and repairs to masonry necessaryo He said that the Nursesu _Residence

of the Mental Hospitals built in

1948

9 has leaked o Many concrete

block houses in st. JohnYs have been affected similarlyp he said o

English bricks have been used in sto Johnus in a number

of buildings according to himg and have required frequent repairso

He said Gower Sto United Church is an exampleo He said that

21

-construction, and unless very carefully supervised bricklayers

will not fill all mortar joints completely. He said that the

Roman Catholic Cathedral in St. John's has required much repair to the masonrYe

Interview NO e 17

This interview on November 17 was with a mason contractor who had worked as a bricklayer and who has had considerable

experi-ence in masonry construction. In his opinion rain penetration of

walls of all brick buildings in St. John's has taken place at one time or another, and he expected this would always be the case.

A factor which contributed to leakage9 he said9 was the

use of high cement mortars, and he preferred the cement-lime type

of equal parts of portland cement and lime. He said that

workmanship is now poor and strict workmanship is necessary to obtain mortar joints which are fully filled with mortar.

He mentioned that bricks from Great Britain have been

used to some extent in St. John's. Bricks from Scotland (said to

be made of low grade fireclay) were used in the Newfoundland Hote19

Prince of Wales College and Memorial University Collegeo Bricks

from Wales9 he said, were used in Gower St. United Church, the

Presbyterian Church, and the Masonic Temple. The Bank of Montreal

building in st. John's is faced with terra cotta which9 in his

opinion, has not been durable in the climate of Sto John's.

Interview No. 18

On November 16,1 interviewed an architect in St. John's. He mentioned no particular problem in masonry buildings in

St. John's other than the very high cost of their construction9

on which account, he said, brickwork is being replaced by other

construction materials in st. John's. He said that bricks cost $100

per thousand in St. John's. They are imported since no bricks

suitable for facing work are produced in Newfoundland. He said

the cost of the bricklaying operation is quite high; in the U.S.A. between 700 and 900 bricks were laid a day by the bricklayer, but in St. Johnis he said the number was between 300 and 400 bricks per day. Interviews Nos. 19, 19A and 19B

This interview, held on November 20, was with three officials of an industrial company interested in the use of expanded slag for

aggregate in concrete products. Concrete blocks of this material

have been used in Halifax and in Sydney. They are manufactured by

the LeE. Shaw Co., Ltd., the aggregate being supplied by the Dominion Steel" and Coal Corporation.

I was shown several buildings in Sydney, erected in the

last two years, of walls of expanded slag concrete units. The walls

22

-It was mentioned that many years ago bricks were made of slag in Sydney, granulated slag being mixed with lime and bricks pressed

from this mixture, being autoclaved to give hardness. Such bricks

were used in the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation Administration

Offices and in the Lyceum Theatre in Sydney. In the former building

much of the brickwork has had to be replaced; such bricks were of low durability.

Interview No. 20

On November 20, I interviewed a builder in Sydney who

said that all masonry buildings in Sydney have been of satisfactory performance with the exception of St. Andrew's Church, in which he

said bricks of low durability were used. (I later saw this building

and the brickwork is in poor condition; many of the buttresses are

badly cracked.) He said he knew of no trouble with buildings in

Sydney from rain penetration of the masonry. In his opinion a

masonry mortar suitable for use in Sydney consists of 1 part cement,

1 part lime and

6

parts of sand, with water containing soft soap

and alum. He saw no reason why a brickwork building, well supervised

in construction, should give trouble from leakage or deterioration. Interview No. 21

On November

23,

in Charlottetown, Mr. J.I. Lawson and I

interviewed an elderly bricklayer, who saId that many years ago

bricks were made of clay and were quite absorptive. They were

dipped in water before being laid. Lime-sand mortar was used for

brickwork. Bricks then were soft, and could be shaped easily for

arches. Present-day bricks, he said, are now made from shale and

are very hard, dense, and non-absorptive. They are difficult to shape,

if required. He said that dampness of brick walls was unknown when

clay bricks and lime mortar were used. He mentioned that bricks

presently used are very durable in themselves but it is difficult to secure a mortar which is durable when used with them.

Interview No. 22

Mr.

J.I. Lawson and I interviewed, on November

24,

a

contractor in Moncton who has had experience in construction work

thrOUghout the Maritime region. He referred to leaky brick buildings

as a problem in the Maritime area. The responsibility for their

occurrence he placed on architects and engineers who specify a

mortar rich in cement. He said that he knew of no building to leak

which he had built when he had been free to use the mortar he thought

best, which would be low in cement content. He said that cracking

in brickwork often results from the use of cement mortars. He

mentioned that misinformed architects and engineers are forcing

contractors to use products and methods in masonry construction which are unsound, such as specifying rich cement mortar for masonryoc

23

-Interview No.

23

On November 28, Mr. Lawson and I interviewed a contractor

in Saint John who said that leaky brick walls are a serious problem

in Saint John. In this regard he has found walls of brick facing

and tile backing to be unsatisfactory. He thought that there is

a lack of information concerning the proper mortar to be used with

any given type of brick. In his opinion, relatively porous bricks

are more suitable than the hard dense bricks which are extensively used now in Saint John.

According to him, rain often enters brick walls where a

thickness of but one brick covers a spandrel beam or columna He

said a flashing is required behind such bricks, and his workers install one even on jobs for which none was called for by the

contractor. He has found trouble from the use of concrete sills

and lintels, particUlarly from the development of cracking in the

joint between the masonry and the concrete. In addition, he has

found deterioration in such concrete from rusting of the reinforcing metal.

He said that much masonry construction is now carried

on in winter, and a high proportion of cement in the mortar is

necessary. Formerly lime mortars were used, made from well slaked

quicklime, the lime often slaked for a year before use. He said

that construction crews from England came over in summer for building operations and at that time prepared a lime-slaking pit

which was left for use the following summer. Now, he said, lime

is often used which has been slaked only a short time. In his

opinion, low productiVity in the brick-laying trade is a problem,

with a resulting high cost of brickwork. He said that it was once

possible to lay 1,200 bricks a day, three weeks after starting to

learn the trade; now the average is about 400 bricks per day.

Interview No.

24

This interview in Saint John was with an architect and

engineer of wide experience in the Maritime region. He said that

rain penetration of brick walls is a very serious problem in

Saint John. There seems to be no compatibility between brick and

mortar in brickwork now constructed, as contrasted with old brick masonry, and in his opinion the proper mortar for use with modern bricks is not known.

In stone masonry work, he said it was difficult to achieve

good bonding between mortar and the sawn faces of stones. Accordingly,

he requires for buildings he designs that stone faces to be in

contact with mortar are to be hammered, which improves the bonds He

said that stone buildings often leak due to the stones being used

before they are dry. On drying in the wall they shrink from the

mortar producing cracks. He specifies that properly aged stones

24

-He mentioned that an old practice in masonry work was to slake lime in the presence of sand, which he thought to be

beneficial to the mortar. In addition, cement used in old masonry

construction in Saint John was very slow setting, whereas now it

is very quick to set. He said "Whitets" English cement was such a

slow-setting type used years ago in Saint John, and if used in

concrete work the forms had to be ,left in for 2 to 3 weekso

He said that he had been of the opinion, but is now

uncertainp that a brick wall should have a facing of bricks of

absorption less than

5

per cent, central bricks of absorption less

than

7

per cent, and inner bricks of absorption less than 10 per

cento

He thought that defects in brick walls may be due to

differential movements in various parts of the walls" He has

noted development of vertical cracks in brickwork over steel columns and since no rust was found on the columns, he thought thermal expansion of the columns may have caused the cracking" He said that he often designs brick walls now of 12 inches of

brick and tile, an air space separating the two" The tile is

plastered on the face towards, the brick and weeps are provided in

the brickwork. In his opinion parapet walls should never be used

in the Maritime region, and all his building designs are for flat

roofs and cornices. He said that many of the masonry buildings

that he has designed have given trouble from rain penetration and deterioration of the masonry.

Interview No"

25

On November

23,

Mr. Lawson and I talked to an official

of an industrial firm in Saint John. He said that the use of

shale bricks promotes leaky walls. He said that there is no

affinity for shale bricks by any lime or cement mortar; on the

other hand9 clay bricks show great affinity for mortar"

Some bricks used in the Maritimes are composed of

75

per cent clay and

25

per cent sand and are of absorption about

7

ｾ

per cent (take up

7

per· cent of their weight on prolonged

immersion in water)" He said that some architects specify bricks

of low absorption for the facing of buildings, but he claimed this

was not good practice. He said the Odeon Theatre, Saint John,

which was built of such bricks in an 8-inch wall has leakedo He

said that "Lt.me popping" has been a trouble with some bricks"

The sand introduces calcium carbonate to the bricks which burns to the oxide in the firing of the bricks, and slakes slowly in the air with resulting "popsn when the bricks are in service" Interview No" 26

.

Following an interview on November 29 with two architects

in Saint John, Mr. Lawson and I were taken to examine several

buildings in that city. They said that several of the brick masonry

buildings they have designed have not been resistant to rain penetration, and leakage in brick buildings, they consider to be