1992
Orlando, FL
The Challenge
Shamu stadium at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, needed to solve three problems. First, the stadium’s exposed precast concrete roof was leaking due to failed EPDM joints. Second, the stadium’s roof, visible from the entrance of the park, needed an attractive appearance to complement Sea World’s modern park design. And third, Sea World was concerned with the ability of a roofing material to withstand Florida’s sub-tropical environment. Sarnafil Roofing Systems responded by delivering a membrane roofing system that would meet and exceed Sea World’s expectations.
The Choice
Sarnafil was selected for its proven performance in sub-tropical and tropical environments, its very low maintenance advantages over other roofing materials, aesthetically-pleasing appearance and custom color options plus the ability to achieve Factory Mutual’s FM I-90 rating for adhering G410 Feltback membrane directly to the exposed concrete deck.
Various roofing manufactures and contractors submitted their proposal for the Shamu Stadium project. CEI of Florida and Sarnafil Roofing Systems teamed up to provide the winning combination. Sarnafil was chosen after Sea World representatives visited the sites of other Sarnafil installations and saw, first hand, how well the Sarnafil systems retained its color, shape, and its resilience to the weather.
The Sarnafil Solution
Once awarded the contract, CEI’s first task was to thoroughly clean and prepare the old surface for the new roofing system. Before the new membrane could be installed, existing concrete panels had to be power washed and the failed EPDM expansion joints removed. Sarnafil’s G410, 48 mil, 9 ounce feltback grey membrane was adhered directly to the now clean and properly prepared concrete deck. New expansion joints were constructed and flashed using G410, 48 mil, grey membrane. All seams were hot-air welded to assure watertight integrity.
One of the many advantages of a Sarnafil membrane is the available color options. This provided Sea World the opportunity to create an attractive design with the membrane that would highlight the stadium’s prominent role in the park. Sarnafil manufactured a custom color to match the Sea World Blue, specifically for the Sea World whale logo design, in a team effort, Sea World’s own art department created paper stencils that were then used by Sarnafil installers to position and shape the actual membrane logo components. The resulting pattern is one of the largest stationary Sea World logos in the world, measuring 125 feet across with letters fifteen feet wide and twenty feet high. CEI of Florida adhered and hot-air welded the logo components directly onto the new Sarnafil G410, 48 mil, 9 ounce feltback membrane.
Sarnafil was ultimately selected by Sea World because of several major advantages – its attractive appearance, low maintenance characteristics, performance record and its competitive cost. Since its installation, Sea World officials have been so pleased with the aesthetics and performance of the Sarnafil roofing system and Sea World logo that they specified Sarnafil for the roof of the manatee attraction.