Photo courtesy McElroy Metal
Aging roofing and poor details on four adjacent buildings on the Central Georgia Technical College campus in Warner Robins, Georgia, got to the point where they were beyond another temporary repair job. After 10 years of patching the problem, the college needed a permanent solution and eventually elected to re-cover the modified bitumen roofing with symmetrical standing seam panels.
Most of the roofing, a mix of modified bitumen with aluminum coating and some existing metal sections, was old and had weathered until it had no useful lifecycle remaining.
“This facility could have been successfully reroofed with any of several low-slope options including single plies and modified bitumen,” said Jody Usry of Edifice Consulting Inc. in Bryon, Georgia. “The system chosen was in our client’s best interest in this particular application because the shape and slope of the building made continuous-run panels practical and cost-effective. It could also be installed over existing sections covered with modified bitumen and sections already covered with metal roofing.”
Usry said the existing roof system, due to age and workmanship, was substantially under-attached to the cementitious wood fiberboard decking. The metal option, unlike other systems, made it practical to leave the poorly attached roof systems in place and attach exclusively to the steel framing, which reduced expense, construction time, and risk exposure.
“The slope of the roof made it visible from grade and the metal roof improved the aesthetics of the campus, giving a fresher and more modern look to an otherwise rather dated complex,” Usry said. “The symmetrical panels allow for the practical modification of the roof planes for changes in projections in the future and isolated repairs in the event of damage.”
The symmetrical standing seam panel provided ease of installation, outstanding wind uplift and strength characteristics, individual panel replacement capability, and jobsite roll forming for long length panels. The symmetrical legs are topped with a mechanically seamed cap, which can be removed when the replacement of a damaged panel or panels is required.
“The high amount of wall surface integrated into the overall facility made an all-inclusive system of roof and wall panels from a single source practical and attractive,” Usry said. “The system chosen facilitated the detailing of the deteriorated masonry parapet walls between the sections.”
The peak of one slope of roofing ran higher than the other, which created a wall with windows and ventilation facing the slope that did not run as high.
“School was in session, so everyone had to work around that. All the work was done on the roof, so no one had to get into the buildings, but you still have to be aware of any noise that could possibly interrupt what is going on inside the buildings,” said Kevin Walsh, principal at Azar + Walsh Architects of Macon, Georgia.
Working around classes and students, the contracting company McCallum Metal Works of Macon, Georgia., installed 7154 m2 (77,000 sf) of symmetrical standing seam metal roofing over sub-purlins and 725 m2 (7800 sf) of wave (textured) panel, both in medium bronze.
Dennis McCallum, owner of McCallum Metal Works, said completion of the project was “extremely smooth” with “little or no hiccups.” He said the selection of metal helped keep the project within budget.
“For the budget to work, the school kept the old roof on, and we retrofitted a new one on top,” McCallum said. “This gave them the desired building appeal while also fitting within the budget constraints.”
