Vertical crack

[Bryan]

Nearly all of the buildings with in this complex had the same type of crack at the corners. The building were constructed in 1977, the foundations show no evidance of settlement. The only thing I can come up with is stress cracking from the offset in the brick between the 2 elevations at the corners. Also there are no weep holes in the wall.

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Bryan

[jon_ran]

Without more pics or a broader view, it is hard to tell.

1st thought would be settlement, but you said that was not the case, plus I see no offset in the mortar joints.

2nd thought would be failed brick ties, but if this were the case (with this kind of cracking) it would probably fell off of the home by now.

Are the cracks evenly spaced or do they widen at the top or bottom?

Any cracking around the corner?

[hausdok]

Is the brick ledge an integral part of the foundation or is it separate? If it's not an integral part of the structure, the ledge may be moving independent of the rest.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Rob Amaral]

Differential shrinkage of the masonry over the sound foundation. Not only did you see it at a lot of locations, you are going to run into that a lot. Expansion/contraction differentials. You will also someday see similar buildings that have the corners of the foundation 'broken off' because of the same thing. ...Broken-off by the expansion of the brick veneer over the foundation (which doesn't expand).

[Brandon Chew]

Tough to nail it down without being there or more info (about foundation detail, attachment of the brick ledge, wall assembly components).

One possible cause is that the veneer on the wall that is around the corner is insufficiently supported and tied to the wall. It's dropped enough to shear through the running bond that ties it to the wall that faces the camera, and the gap has opened as the veneer is pulling away from the wall.

More likely (as Rob posted) is that the brick was laid in the summer when it was hot, and the cracks formed in the winter when the veneer shrunk (or vice versa). Look for proper detailing of expansion joints or the lack thereof. Visit http://www.bia.org and consult their technotes for more info.