The Building

Located in North Carolina’s downtown Winston-Salem, the Reynolds American is a historic 22-story office building and is the former site of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. At the time of the building’s opening in 1929, it was the tallest building from Baltimore to Miami.

The Challenge

The building’s facade required a full caulking replacement which included caulking all the precast and sealing all the window perimeters. The building’s unique architecture, such as the recessed windows and an angled roof, posed a few hurdles for the technicians.

The Solution

To overcome the first hurdle and access the recessed windows, the team constructed a makeshift “porch” to provide a platform for the crew to step out on from the swing stage and safely access the windows. The second hurdle was the angled roof of the building which prohibited the use of a swing stage. Instead, the crew rappelled from the 280′ roof to complete the work. The last hurdle was accessing the corners of the southern angled roof. The only way to access this area was by utilizing a 300′ crane and having the crew suspended from it in a basket. Operating the crane for a week required two roadway closures. One of these closures was the main throughway for the city of Winston-Salem, so the team worked in continuous shifts around the clock to complete the work as quickly as possible.

The Result

The team was able to complete the project as anticipated and left the managers extremely happy with their newly waterproofed building. With proper maintenance, the new caulking will keep the building watertight and last for decades.

We are always looking for our next project. If your commercial building needs exterior restoration services, call us at 1-800-785-9927 or Request a Quote.