2017
Fredrick, Maryland
Mall Finds Sarnafil RhinoBond® Roof to be a Good Deal
When the owners of the Francis Scott Key mall in Frederick, Maryland decided to install solar panels on the roof, their shopping list for a new roof to go underneath the panels included "a solid and tested product with a good warranty and which is cost-efficient," according to Bill DeTora, general manager at Francis Scott Key Mall. One roof which met that criteria was the Sarnafil RhinoBond roofing system.
The Sarnafil RhinoBond system uses Sarnafil’s proven PVC roof membrane, which is attached using RhinoBond’s advanced induction welding technology. RhinoBond secures the membrane directly to specially coated plates that are used to secure the insulation to the deck, all without penetrating the roofing membrane. The result is a roofing system with improved wind performance that requires 25 to 50 percent fewer fasteners and plates.
Project
Francis Scott Key Mall
Frederick, Maryland
Owner
PREIT Services, LLC
Roofing Contractor
Nations Roof Mid Atlantic.
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Roofing Consultant
Sharp Roofing Associates
Ironia, New Jersey
Roofing System
RhinoBond® Roof System using 80 mil
Sarnafil® S 327 EnergySmart® Roof membrane in white
Project Size
373,651 square feet
In addition, since the fastening points are spread out across the roof deck in a grid pattern rather than concentrated in the seams of the membrane, the wind uplift load is distributed more evenly. The result is less point loading on each fastener, enabling the system to achieve higher wind ratings with fewer fasteners.
DeTora had used the Sarnafil roofing membrane for seven years and felt it was a system that met their needs. Joe Marcelli, project manager/consultant at Sharp Roofing Associates, Inc. of Ironia, New Jersey, added, "the Sarnafil membrane is very durable, reliable, and consistent. And I love RhinoBond -- it gives you a more monolithic system and you can use wider sheets, making it less labor intensive. We use it on projects all the time."
Many Challenges in Store
The scope of the work on this 373,651-square-foot roof included removing wet ISO; tearing off the existing APP modified roof membrane at all roof drains down to the deck and installing 16' by 16' drain sumps; tearing off roofing at all penetrations, base flashings, curbs and pipes; and installing one layer of Sarnatherm HD cover board, followed by the Sarnafil membrane. There were 2,600 linear feet of new expansion joints, 9,000 linear feet of peel stops, 300 pipe boots, 8,000 square feet of G-459 utilized upside at all grease vents, 120 rolls of walkway pads, 4,000 linear feet of Edge Grip, 135 HVAC units and 17 various sized roof and rectangular skylights.
The roof installation had to be completed in 90 days, because the solar panels were going to be installed right after the membrane was completed. "There were 16 different roof areas that had to be 100 percent completed and inspected by a Sika Roofing representative before the solar company could start," said Don Bergamy, president of Nations Roof Mid Atlantic of Glen Burnie, Maryland. "They wanted a minimum of 100,000 square feet to start. Fortunately the RhinoBond system goes down very quickly, and you can get the roof laid out and watertight a lot faster," Bergamy stated. "This is an extremely busy mall, so keeping it watertight was very important." Marcelli added, "With the RhinoBond system if the insulation is already fastened and there are rain clouds on the horizon the crew can put field sheets out, weld all the seams and tack it in place with induction welding."
There were other challenges in store for Nations Roof, like customer safety and convenience. "The mall comes alive at 9:00 a.m. with a large volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic," Bergamy explained. "We had to load the roof at 2:00 a.m. and complete our work by 8:30 a.m."
Another regular visitor to the mall is OSHA, so safety was also very important, especially since the roof had a 2/12 slope. "We had to be on our A-game at all times," Bergamy remarked. To that end, Nations installed 1,500 linear feet of perimeter ZIP rail fall restraint system.
Another factor was making sure everything met FM approval, since the mall is FM insured. Fortunately Sharp Roofing Associates and Sika Sarnafil were very helpful with that and other tasks.
A Successful Transaction
Despite all these factors, Nations Roof was able to complete the work in 90 days with no injuries, roof leaks, or liability claims. "Nations Roof pulled off one heck of a show down there," Marcelli commented. "They did about 260 squares a day without cutting corners and while paying close attention to the details. If there was one weak link in the chain the project wouldn't have worked. But with the Sika technical representatives, and Nations' talented crew the project ended up being a credit to their professionalism."
It was this professionalism that earned Nations Roof third place in the Sustainability Category of Sika Sarnafil’s 2017 Project of the Year competition.
A Satisfied Customer
Today the roof is performing well and keeping shoppers protected from the elements. "As expected there have been no issues with the roof," DeTora said.
"The roof is beautiful and everything worked out well," Marcelli added. "The job went smoothly and there are no issues with the roof."
"I would absolutely use the Sarnafil RhinoBond system again," Bergamy stated. "I really like working with Sika and the Sarnafil membrane is a premium product that is great to work with. And I'm a big fan of the RhinoBond system because it makes installation faster and easier."
Another satisfied customer of the Sarnafil RhinoBond system.