Case Study: Avoiding the Mistakes of the Past Leads to Spectacular Results at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

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Aug 09, 2023

At a beloved South Florida Hospital, StoPowerwall® ExtraSeal® integrates old and new construction while providing peace of mind in the process.

DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, had a disastrous experience with a contractor improperly installing a stucco facade on the hospital’s original structure. Now facing an expansion and remodel, they were in no hurry to repeat their bad experience. The new team settled on a Sto solution, StoPowerwall ExtraSeal with Sto Crack Defense, a direct applied stucco system to CMU wall construction that features Sto ExtraSeal® air and water-resistive barrier and an added fortification layer to minimize surface cracking.

As one of the largest children’s hospitals in the region, families in South Florida depend on Joe DiMaggio Hospital. The entire team understood the importance of getting the expansion right. “There are few places nationwide where families can go to receive the highly specialized pediatric care that is closer to home than Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” explained Kevin Janser, CEO of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The 108,000 SF project, essential to the hospital’s long-term success and to the community’s continued well-being, was equal parts expansion and renovation. A four-floor addition would be added atop the existing four-floor building, which would need its stucco completely replaced, making it a remove and reclad project, which is the most extensive type of renovation. An efficient team was built that included General Contractors Robins & Morton, led by Robert Creswick; KHS&S Contracting, led by partner Robert Luker handling the application of the exterior facade; Robert Whitcomb of C.B. Goldsmith & Associates, overseeing the original structure’s restoration, and HKS Architects, who was responsible for the expansion.

The first step was to remove the old stucco, which had originally been installed without properly leveling the building. Instead, the installers attempted to achieve an even finish by layering on stucco in thicknesses three times the published code requirement value in ASTM C926. Luker’s team at KHS&S Contracting was determined to do the job properly and with only the best products. This involved a Level 4 reStore, which in Sto’s A.R.T. of reStore® approach refers to a complete removal and reclad of the entire facade.

The decision to use a StoPowerwall ExtraSeal cladding system was not made haphazardly. It was based on the experience of team members of other projects and the hard-learned lessons of the original building’s stucco installation. According to Whitcomb, Memorial Healthcare Systems was looking for a solution that could make them feel comfortable and allay their fears: “The owner wanted a tested system that could be warranted. The StoPowerwall ExtraSeal system had additions like Sto Crack Defense that was the belt and suspenders that gave the owner more comfort.”

Once the old stucco was removed, application of the StoPowerwall ExtraSeal system could begin on both the old building and the new addition. Luker’s started by ensuring that the building was level and plum using Sto Wall Leveler and Patch to achieve an even, level surface. In some places, this required using as much as an inch and a half of leveler. Next was the application of Sto ExtraSeal applied as a skim coat, this is the cementitious waterproofing layer. Sto ExtraSeal was then applied again as the scratch coat and lastly Sto Powerwall Stucco as the stucco brown coat with a nominal thickness not to exceed 5/8 inch thick which is in compliance with the ASTM C926 code requirements. That, in turn, was followed by the Sto Crack Defense, providing the team with that extra comfort level against surface cracking which reduces maintenance and repair costs substantially and extends the life of the cladding while allowing for a wide variety of aesthetics. Finally, after a primer coat, they finished everything off with the color integrated Stolit® 1.0 textured acrylic finish.

The old building and new addition were married together seamlessly, realizing the vision of the architects. Meanwhile, Memorial Healthcare Systems can rest assured that thanks to StoPowerwall ExtraSeal with Sto Crack Defense, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. And most importantly, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital will continue to serve the children of South Florida for decades to come.

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