Hungarian Embassy

Built in 1879 and remodeled in 1912, a building that was once the home of Alexander Graham Bell and later the headquarters for the American Coatings Industry will become the new home of the Embassy of Hungary. The conversion of the historic yet dilapidated building will consist of interior renovations and the addition of an attached parking garage. Schnabel provided environmental engineering services on the project.

We performed a Phase I environment site assessment, a hazardous building materials survey, and a lead-based paint inspection to identify any hazardous materials within the proposed Embassy. During our site reconnaissance, we identified and quantified hazardous materials including asbestos, lead-based paint, mercury-containing thermostats and lighting, and PCB-containing light ballasts. We also used upgraded transmission electron microscopy analysis on the building plaster to confirm it was not asbestos-containing material – as identified with standard analysis. This additional testing saved our client time and money associated with the abatement of the plaster. Our project deliverable was a detailed report containing survey activities, laboratory results, and recommendations for hazardous material abatement and disposal methods.