The community of Winchester, Ind., was in desperate need of a new roof for its aging high school. Teachers and students were coexisting in an interior environment that was wet, humid and had a repulsive smell. The school board met with a number of people, including a conventional roof trade association and an architectural firm that specialized particularly in flat roof work.
In January 2008, they elected to go with another flat roof on the high school.
However, the community was split over whether to use another flat asphalt roof or to use a sloped standing seam metal roof. In March 2008, Metal Roof Consultants attended a school board meeting and presented a sloped metal retrofit roof as an alternative to tearing off the existing roof and replacing it with another flat roof. The retrofit metal roofing system allows the existing roof to stay in place and constructing a new roofing system over the top of it.
The challenge
To provide a long-lasting roof that would permanently fix severe leakage issues associated with the existing flat roof on Winchester High School.
The solution
After the presentation by Metal Roof Consultants, it was decided that a retrofit metal roof system would be the best solution for the existing problem. MBCI, the leading manufacturer of metal roof and wall systems, was approved as the supplier for both the framing system and metal roof system for the 108,000-sf project. Smarrelli Construction was chosen to do the installation. The contract price was approximately $1.6 million, slightly less than the original estimate to remove and replace the existing flat roof.
The MBCI NuRoof Retrofit Roof System was installed over the existing roof’s framing members to create a sloped plane. Six inches of unfaced fiberglass insulation were installed directly over the existing roof. This raised the insulating value of the roof from R-3.5 to R-22.5, which provided significant energy savings. It also allowed the existing roof to release its moisture through the glass insulation into the ventilated air in the new roof cavitty.
Once the framing system was in place, a BattenLok HS standing seam metal roof was installed over it. This option allowed school to stay in session while the new roof was installed. The metal roof was an Energy Star qualified Cool Roof color, which, when properly used considering the environment and the slope of the roof, can reduce energy consumption because of its ability to reflect and emit the sun’s energy, providing significant cost savings.
Additionally, this solution eliminated the need to deposit the existing roof into the local landfill, which recent statics show that 7 to 10% of U.S. landfill space has gone to roofing waste over the last 40 years (ADPSR 1998-2007 Corps of Engineers Study). Metal roofing also allows for little to no maintenance. The contract price was $1.6 million, less than the original estimate to remove and replace the existing flat roof. MBCI also guarantees that the roof will not leak for a minimum of 20 years.
The retrofit system
The NuRoof Retrofit Framing System utilizes light-gauge (16 ga. to 12 ga.) steel framing, which is installed directly over the existing roof’s framing members to create a sloped plane. Regardless of whether your roof substrate is steel, wood or concrete, MBCI’s NuRoof system can be employed to satisfy the building owner’s requirements. MBCI has the experience required to design the retrofit framing system that will comply with the original load requirements of the existing roof.
The existing roof’s physical footprint, framing system and other rooftop conditions will most likely control the new roof’s geometry. A low-slope application (¼:12 to 2:12) is typically driven by economy and designed to discharge rainwater from the roof. High-slope applications (greater than 2:12) are also designed to improve and update the look of an existing building in conjunction with improving the performance of the roof.
Once a NuRoof framing system has been installed, one of MBCI’s standing seam metal roofs is typically installed, creating a ventilated attic space.
Standing seam metal roof systems
MBCI offers two types of standing seam metal roof systems--vertical leg and trapezoidal--which are of the most durable and weathertight roof systems available in the industry. Both systems can be used for new construction or retrofitting an existing building.
The vertical leg standing seam roof panels from MBCI blend the aesthetics of an architectural panel with the strength of a structural panel. These panels have earned several UL uplift ratings, assuring the reliability of performance. They also provide flexibility to meet design challenges. Each of these systems is designed to be installed over open framing. BattenLok HS is a vertical leg system.
Trapezoidal standing seam panels are available as a snap-together system or field-seamed system. They allow for strength, durability and weatherability. The standing seams are three inches above the lowest part of the panel, well above the water level as it flows off the roof. With a recommended minimum slope of ¼:12, the trapezoidal systems can be used on all types of construction, including metal, masonry or wood. +
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Jun 28, 2023
Sutton Tower, an 80-story multifamily development, completes construction in Manhattan’s Midtown East
In Manhattan’s Midtown East, the construction of Sutton Tower, an 80-story residential building, has been completed. Located in the Sutton Place neighborhood, the tower offers 120 for-sale residences, with the first move-ins scheduled for this summer. The project was designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen and developed by Gamma Real Estate and JVP Management. Lendlease, the general contractor, started construction in 2018.
Architects | Jun 27, 2023
Why architects need to think like developers, with JZA Architecture's Jeff Zbikowski
Jeff Zbikowski, Principal and Founder of Los Angeles-based JZA Architecture, discusses the benefits of having a developer’s mindset when working with clients, and why architecture firms lose out when they don’t have a thorough understanding of real estate regulations and challenges.
Apartments | Jun 27, 2023
Average U.S. apartment rent reached all-time high in May, at $1,716
Multifamily rents continued to increase through the first half of 2023, despite challenges for the sector and continuing economic uncertainty. But job growth has remained robust and new households keep forming, creating apartment demand and ongoing rent growth. The average U.S. apartment rent reached an all-time high of $1,716 in May.
Apartments | Jun 27, 2023
Dallas high-rise multifamily tower is first in state to receive WELL Gold certification
HALL Arts Residences, 28-story luxury residential high-rise in the Dallas Arts District, recently became the first high-rise multifamily tower in Texas to receive WELL Gold Certification, a designation issued by the International WELL Building Institute. The HKS-designed condominium tower was designed with numerous wellness details.
University Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Addition by subtraction: The value of open space on higher education campuses
Creating a meaningful academic and student life experience on university and college campuses does not always mean adding a new building. A new or resurrected campus quad, recreational fields, gardens, and other greenspaces can tie a campus together, writes Sean Rosebrugh, AIA, LEED AP, HMC Architects' Higher Education Practice Leader.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Green | Jun 26, 2023
Federal government will spend $30 million on novel green building technologies
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will invest $30 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase the sustainability of federal buildings by testing novel technologies. The vehicle for that effort, the Green Proving Ground (GPG) program, will invest in American-made technologies to help increase federal electric vehicle supply equipment, protect air quality, reduce climate pollution, and enhance building performance.
Office Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Electric vehicle chargers are top priority for corporate office renters
Businesses that rent office space view electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as a top priority. More than 40% of companies in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) are looking to include EV charging stations in future leases, according to JLL’s 2023 Responsible Real Estate study.
Laboratories | Jun 23, 2023
A New Jersey development represents the state’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education
In New Brunswick, N.J., a life sciences development that’s now underway aims to bring together academics and researchers to work, learn, and experiment under one roof. HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange is an innovation district under development on a four-acre downtown site. At $731 million, HELIX, which will be built in three phases, represents New Jersey’s largest-ever investment in life sciences and medical education, according to a press statement.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 22, 2023
NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars release conceptual designs for ‘stadium of the future’
Designed by HOK, the Stadium of the Future intends to meet the evolving needs of all stadium stakeholders—which include the Jaguars, the annual Florida-Georgia college football game, the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, international sporting events, music festivals and tours, and the thousands of fans and guests who attend each event.
