The first challenge Schreiber faced required an innovative solution. The stadium needed to be shielded from weather while construction was underway. Rich Gagnon, Schreiber’s senior project manager/estimator, came up with the idea of using a pool liner as a temporary roof, which could later serve as an air barrier for the permanent roofing system.

The pool liner was attached to a rigid modified gypsum board, which provided dimensional stability for the insulation.  Schreiber installed one layer of 1.2 inch thick JM polyisocyanurate insulation, followed by a 1.5 inch thick layer.  The installation of the UltraGard® SR-60 PVC membrane began in April 2003, when the crew endured high winds and every type of weather imaginable.

“As the project manager, I acted as the liaison between the general contractors and our company,” said Rich Gagnon, Schreiber Corporation.  “I was proud to represent a crew with such dedication, endurance and expertise.  Chuck Rosa, president, Mark Gilliam, general superintendent and Leonard Elmendorf, sheet metal superintendent, worked together seamlessly to meet the field management demands brought about by a very imposing construction schedule, which was compressed even further by construction delays.”

Because of the size and slope on the domed roof, large concrete-lined gutters were constructed that were 5 feet wide and 6 feet deep to handle a demanding drainage condition.  This required making a waterproof transition from the roof surface to the gutters.  The JM PVC-Clad Metal made the transition water tight and easy to construct.

The stadium’s lower flat roofs consisted of SBS modified bitumen that was mopped with hot asphalt and APP that was heat welded. The APP was used on areas where the roof had a slope greater than three-quarter inch per foot. The SBS portion of the roof had one layer of 1 inch JM polyisocyanurate insulation, one layer of 1.5 inch and one layer of one-quarter per inch per foot tapered insulation.  There also was one layer of half-inch thick JM wood fiber that was covered with one ply of DynaPly® cap sheet and one ply of DynaGlas®  FR cap sheet.  The APP portion had one layer of 1-inch JM polyisocyanurate insulation, one layer of 1.5 inch and one layer of 1-inch thick JM wood fiber.  This was covered with a PermaPly® 28 base sheet set in hot asphalt, one ply of APPeX™ 4S as a ply sheet and one layer of Tricor™ M FR cap sheet, both heat welded.

The adjacent 110,000-square-foot warehouse presented its own unique challenges. It consisted of six different structures, some built in the 1920s and others in the 1940s.  There was a maze of penetrations.  The roof had six air handlers, which were placed on supporting steel grillage and surrounded by a concrete slab. The mechanical piping required additional steel grillage to support the pipes. There also were numerous mechanical curbs. Because of the amount of equipment on the rooftop, Gagnon did not believe that the originally specified fully-adhered EPDM system would hold up to the amount of construction activity and maintenance traffic the roof would experience. He recommended changing the specification to a phased application JM SBS modified bitumen system.

The warehouse roof was installed in a phased approach. On the steel deck, one layer of JM polyisocyanurate insulation was loose laid, then one layer of 1.5 inch JM  polyisocyanurate roof insulation was mechanically fastened and one layer of tapered insulation was mopped, followed by one-half inch thick wood fiber. One ply of DynaPly® base sheet was then mopped in hot asphalt, followed by one ply of DynaGlas® FR set in cold adhesive. Before setting the DynaGlas cap sheet, Schreiber contracted with a firm to perform a thermal scan to identify any areas of damage that could be patched prior to final application of the cap sheet.

The next challenge was to tie the warehouse into the self-supporting stadium.  Schreiber created a vertical flashing detail at the warehouse-stadium junction just below the stadium’s translucent Kalwall®. According to Gagnon, Schreiber built a vertical or knee wall just below the Kalwall system.  This detail enabled an 8-inch wide seismic expansion joint cover to be placed, which allowed for greater dynamic differential movement between the two structures.

“Considering all of the other challenges with this job, the expansion joints created a special challenge,” Gagnon said.  “In some cases, they had to allow for movement of plus or minus 10.5 inches, which is quite unusual.”

Schreiber Corporation was up to the challenge.  The roofing contractor was able to keep pace with and work around the other trades and completed the entire system in time for opening day.

Operating in Detroit since 1916 and Hamilton, Ontario Canada since 1953, Schreiber Corporation is a full-service roofing contractor specializing in built up, modified bitumen, single-ply and standing-seam metal systems. They are Summit Club members of the Johns Manville Peak Advantage™ program, a distinction that only 10 percent of Johns Manville Peak Advantage members achieve. The current owner and chairman, H.L. Schreiber, has been in the engineering, design and construction business for 52 years. The company generates an average of $30 million in annual revenue.  During peak time, the company typically employs 200-250 people.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products.  In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves.  Johns Manville employs about 9,000 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China.  Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.