Spalling Brick—Material, Design or Construction Problem?

Abstract

A 1987 addition to a Midwest high school included the use of a white utility brick. The original building was surrounded on three sides by the new addition, which provided a striking appearance. Approximately 4 years after the completion of the school, a number of problems, which neither the architect nor contractor were able to resolve, were examined. The problems generally fell into two categories, water infiltration and spalling of brick. Although water infiltration is not an unusual building problem, spalling brick is. It is not uncommon to see old neglected brick walls, such as parapets, saturated with water. Typically, in these instances, the face brick is intact, and the mortar has deteriorated. In this building, the opposite occurred. The brick was deteriorating, but the mortar was not.