The Ivy Tower property in Fort Lauderdale is comprised of two high-rise, multi-story, cast in place concrete frame office buildings with a parking garage. Ownership faced two questions at once. The first was immediate: the towers and the garage were due for structural recertification under Broward County’s Safety Inspection Program, and that compliance requirement carried its own timeline.
The second question looked further out. The property sits in one of the most hurricane exposed markets in the country, and ownership wanted to understand how the building would perform in a major storm before committing capital to upgrades. Roof coverings, rooftop equipment, windows, elevator infrastructure, and the precast panels on the building exteriors were identified for evaluation against current wind resistance standards.
BillerReinhart was engaged twice: first for the recertification, then for a comprehensive Building Systems Assessment built around storm performance and capital planning.
The two assignments were sequenced so that each one informed the next. The recertification established a documented baseline of the property’s current condition. The Building Systems Assessment then used that baseline to evaluate proposed upgrades and set priorities for future investment.
BillerReinhart Engineers performed the structural recertification of the two high-rise office towers in accordance with Broward County’s Safety Inspection Program. Through detailed inspections, document review, and condition assessments, our Engineers evaluated the accessible structural components and prepared the required recertification documentation to support continued safe operation of the complex.
Building on the recertification, BillerReinhart was retained to evaluate possible upgrades to the building systems with respect to storm resistance. The assessment began with a review of the available structural drawings and reports for the subject structures.
Our Engineers then reviewed the proposed building system upgrade estimates, drawings, and specifications supplied by ownership, and evaluated each system for storm performance: the roof covering, for suitability across both the flat roofs and the high metal roof; the rooftop equipment, for suitability of support and attachment; the window system, for wind resistance at critical locations; and the elevator equipment, for base flood elevation as it relates to ground level infrastructure.
Beyond the systems review, ownership requested a wind load resistance evaluation of the typical precast panel and its connection to the building frame. BillerReinhart Engineers performed a structural analysis of the precast panels and their connections for both buildings, preparing engineering calculations to evaluate their capacity under current code-required wind loads.
Recommendations did not sit in isolation. Conclusions referenced expected hurricane resistance using the Saffir Simpson Scale and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7-22 Risk Categories, so that ownership could weigh each proposed upgrade against a defined storm scenario rather than a general sense of exposure.
The findings were delivered in an executive summary cover letter describing the results of the evaluation and our recommendations for implementation of upgrades. Backup documentation followed in tabbed sections for a deeper understanding of the evaluation, including calculations, code references, and technical specifications.
Together, the two assignments combined immediate compliance objectives with forward looking resiliency planning. The recertification documentation supported the continued safe operation of the complex under Broward County’s Safety Inspection Program. The Building Systems Assessment gave ownership a roadmap for improving storm performance and reducing vulnerability to extreme weather events, with each recommendation benchmarked against current wind resistance standards and expected hurricane risk scenarios.
The result is a clear understanding of the building’s current condition and a practical path toward enhancing its long-term performance and durability, one that ownership can use to guide strategic investment decisions for the property.
Client
Ivy Tower 101 Property, LLC
Location
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Building Type
Two High-Rise, Multi-Story, Cast in Place Concrete Frame Office Buildings with a Parking Garage
Scope
Structural Recertification under Broward County's Safety Inspection Program and a Building Systems Assessment for Storm Resistance
Deliverables
Recertification Documentation, Building Systems Report with Executive Summary and Tabbed Backup Documentation
Our Engineers assess the condition, define the scope, and give ownership a documented basis for the next investment.
