Beaufort County Courthouse

RRJ conducted an investigation and analysis to determine the in situ conditions of the exterior building enclosure, causation(s) of moisture intrusion, and to develop a scope for corrective work of the Courthouse, built in 1991, at the Beaufort County Multi-government Center (MGC). This two-story structure houses courtrooms, a law library, offices, and a detention facility located on the MGC campus which includes an Administrative Building, a Law Enforcement Center, and a Detention Center.

The investigative findings concluded that construction and design problems resulted in water intrusion from multiple sources into the exterior building walls, roof soffits, and interiors. Budget constraints leading to value engineering contributed to the problems at the Building. The project documents and conditions identified during the field investigation confirmed previous knowledge of the water intrusion problems at the Building since it was constructed over 18 years ago. The largest sources of leakage which led to damage are attributed to the concealed internal gutters, window assemblies, cast stone belt course, and the perimeter edge of the balcony terrace. Lack of proper response to the known leakage problems by the County and project team led to the advanced deterioration of materials, resulting in more extensive and costly repairs than would have been needed if these problems had been addressed in a comprehensive and timely manner.