North Avenue Apartments is currently undergoing brick repair and replacement, having started in the end of July. The repair work is estimated to be completed in six to eight months and will only affect the east side of the apartments. Despite the work, students will still be living in the apartments for the duration of the project.
The apartments were built to serve as the Olympic Village for athletes during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. After that, the apartments were used by Georgia State University’s housing until they were transferred to Tech in 2007.
The decision to replace the bricks came after an analysis of the building’s façade before being acquired by Tech from Georgia State. From the analysis, it was determined that the bricks were not properly tied to the building. As a result, the Tech administration plans on replacing each brick by hand.
“This is not a structural issue. This is veneer brick repair and replacement work that needs to be done to ensure that we increase the life cycle and longevity of the building,” said James Fetig, Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing in a statement.
Due to the use of the apartments by students during the fall and spring semesters, Tech facilities, housing and the contracted Gilbane Building Company plan to make the repair work the least disruptive possible. Brick work will be done in sections of the buildings and will last two to three weeks for each section. This work will be done daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Students in affected North and East buildings of the apartment complex will be notified by the Residential Housing Association (RHA) with a time table for the construction prior to its start. To ensure the safety of the students, RHA and the Tech Facilities department will be taking extra measures for security.
Windows will be blocked off during construction, and workers will be restricted to only certain parts of each building.