2017
Iowa City, Iowa
Sika Sarnafil Roof Succeeds at Higher Education
When you are the University of Iowa’s Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, it is not surprising that the roof on your new addition boasts many advanced features designed for sustainability, including a “green” roof, solar panels, and even a pair of bioswales that slow down and filter storm water runoff water before it enters the sewer system. To find the right roofing system to meet these different roofing needs the University went with a system that has a lot of tenure on the campus: the Sarnafil adhered EnergySmart roof system.
The University of Iowa has been using Sika Sarnafil systems since 1981, when it was installed on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. After that roof was damaged by a severe storm with hail and tornados in 2008, the old Sarnafil membrane was recycled into walkways and installed on the new Sarnafil roof system used to replace it. A Sarnafil roofing system was also installed on the University’s Nursing Building in 2005 and on the University’s Chemistry Building in 2010.
“Sarnafil is my ‘go to roof system’ for any project – whether it is a new or reroofing project,” remarked Tom Feldmann, associate principal at BNIM of Des Moines, the architects on the Seamans Center addition. “Sika Sarnafil manufactures proven products and their local representation is outstanding.”
Feldmann said that for this project they wanted a roofing system that would provide a uniform look and perform without issues, since remov¬ing the green roof or solar panels to make any roof repairs down the road would be difficult and costly. “The Sarnafil system gives us peace of mind in situations like this,” he added.
Owner
University of Iowa
Roofing Contractor
Poly Vinyl RoofingMount Vernon, Iowa
Roofing System
Green roof system and adhered roof system, using Sarnafil S 327 60 mil EnergySmart Roof® membrane in white
Project Size
22,536 square feet
Top Notch Installers
Feldmann said another reason he likes working with Sika Sarnafil is because they have a “really tight group” of installers. “Sika Sarnafil is very selective when they decide which companies can install their systems,” he pointed out. “You can rest assured they will be skilled installers.”
Poly Vinyl Roofing of Mount Vernon, Iowa is no exception. “Sika Sarnafil systems are the only ones we install,” said Mike Connolly, owner of Poly Vinyl Roofing. “We know we can solve any roofing problem with a Sika Sarnafil quality roof. It’s the best material on the market.”
Even the smoothest roof installation has some challenges, and this job had its fair share. “We were tying in a new roof to the roof of the existing building, so we had to make sure the expansion joint would allow the buildings to act independently,” Feldmann said. “Staging was also tight,” Connolly added. “We also had to pay a lot of attention to the details.”
Research Helps Installation Go Smoothly
BNIM and Poly Vinyl Roofing spent a lot of time before the roof installation going over details and schedules with the Sika Sarnafil technical representative. “This background work really helped us make this a pretty straightforward installation,” Feldmann stated. “Looking at the design and construction schedules in advance also helped us, because when the Sika Sarnafil representative saw that we would need to dry in the building during the winter months, he recommended using the Sarnavap vapor barrier, which can also serve as a temporary roof.” Feldmann explained that this change allowed construction to proceed as planned during the winter months.
The roof installation also implemented leak detection using electronic field vector mapping (EFVM). “During the first electronic inspection the EFVM located a razor thin cut it the membrane from another trade’s tool – a slit that was so small it couldn’t be seen by the human eye,” Connolly commented. “That right there was a cost saver, because it happened before we put down the plants and overburden.”
Even the smoothest roof installation has some challenges, and this job had its fair share. “We were tying in a new roof to the roof of the existing building, so we had to make sure the expansion joint would allow the buildings to act independently,” Feldmann said. “Staging was also tight,” Connolly added. “We also had to pay a lot of attention to the details.”
“Poly Vinyl Roofing did a great job as the ‘boots on the ground’ to install the roof properly,” Feldmann said. “It was wonderful to get Poly Vinyl Roofing’s input on the tweaks that had to be done to the drawing details to ensure a watertight installation.”
It was this professionalism that earned Poly Vinyl Roofing first place in the Sustainability Category of Sika Sarnafil’s 2018 Project of the Year competition.
A Successful Assignment
After the Sarnafil roofing system was installed Poly Vinyl Roofing worked with Rooftop Sedums to install the Liveroof pre-vegetated modules on the green roof portion of the building. “One day we had a beautiful white Sarnafil roof, and the next day we had a luscious bed of sedums and native plants,” Feldmann remarked. The roof was also ringed with pavers installed by Poly Vinyl Roofing.
Today students are using a monitoring system to measure pollutants in the water in the bioswales, making the roof a lab of sorts, and the reaction to the aesthetics and sustainability of the roofing system has been very positive. “The roof is performing very well, and is considered a great success,” Connolly said.
Feldmann added that because of the success of this roof and the other Sarnafil roofs, the University of Iowa is moving forward to install Sarnafil systems on two other roofs on the campus – including the University of Iowa’s brand new Stanley Museum of Art. “We recently put the museum project out to bid, and I had a wave of relief to hear that Poly Vinyl Roofing will be installing a Sika Sarnafil system on this project,” he remarked. When it comes to roofing, the University of Iowa is a very smart student indeed.
