Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007 - 17

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R O J E C T FEATURE the Saks store on Canal Street in New Orleans. Michael
ebel New Orleans’ Saks Restored tO FORmeR LuSteR I MACTEC, INC. n late
August 2005, Michael J. Ebel’s heart pounded as he watched images on the
TV news of Hurricane Katrina as it devastated New Orleans. The national
director of commercial facilities for MACTEC knew it wouldn’t be long
before his firm was called in to help. Department store operator Saks,
Inc. was a MACTEC client and Ebel was well aware that one of its upscale
Saks Fifth Avenue stores was located downtown on Canal Street. The call
from Saks came a week later and Ebel boarded a plane for Lafayette, 129
miles from flooded New Orleans. Having to fly into an outlying airport was
just the first of many logistical challenges posed by tackling a project in
a city devastated by one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. B e c
a u s e there were no hotel rooms available in New Orleans, Ebel and his
colleagues had to stay in trailers 35 miles from the city. Driving to New
Orleans early each morning took at least two hours because of flooded
roads and National Guard checkpoints. Most of the damage to the
105,000-square-foot Saks building was caused by a fire believed to be
started by squatters who occupied the store in the storm’s aftermath.
“Damage to the interior was significant,” says Ebel. “Temperatures
of the concrete and reinforcing steel bars may have exceeded 1,100 degrees
Fahrenheit.” The fire caused widespread structural damage. It was most
severe at the building’s northwest corner, where MACTEC engineers had to
install an emergency temporary scaffold to support weakened columns and
beams before they could begin repairs. T h e re also was significant water
damage caused by the sprinkler system. The third floor was so badly
waterlogged that it had to be gutted back to concrete and steel. In many
cases, the water and fire damage was so extensive that there was no option
other than removing and replacing large sections of the building’s
interior structure. T h e combination of high humidity, no air
conditioning and lots of water also meant the building became an ideal
breeding ground for mold. “It was a giant petri dish,” says Ebel.
“It had furry walls.” To eliminate the mold, walls had to be cut out
two feet beyond where it was visible, as well as removing other porous
materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet. MACTEC also worked closely
with Saks management to develop a plan to stabilize and repair the
building. Core samples were taken from columns, joists and slab sections
and lab-tested to determine the extent of concrete damage. Sections of
reinforcing steel also were removed and tested for strength and ductility.
While environmental remediation work still continues, Saks Fifth Avenue
reopened last September. When Ebel thinks of how MACTEC helped restore the
scorched building to its former glory, he says he is reminded of a
centuries-old legend. “This venerable building in downtown New Orleans
is like the mythical Egyptian phoenix bird,” he says. “It literally
rose from the ashes.” ENGINEERING INC. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2007 17 Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007

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