Rendering courtesy of AeroDesign Group LLC, Indianapolis
The existing Indianapolis International Airport was built in 1957. Although it served its purpose during the following decades, a plan for more modern development of the airport began in 1975.
From then until now, a new Indianapolis International Airport was in the works to help accommodate needs such as parking, baggage handling, security and communications. In addition, location needed to be considered; for environmental reasons, the new airport would be placed between the two main runways to reduce noise and pollution by saving taxiing time and fuel.
"Right now, the terminal is at the southeastern end of the airport property and each aircraft has to taxi for about eight minutes," says David Dawson, president of Executive Media, Indianapolis. "The new airport significantly will reduce taxiing time."
Plans also were made to install an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly roof system on the new airport terminal, which would sport a unique curved shape and pose a challenge during construction.
After being asked to bid on the project, Roberts Roofing and Siding Inc., Glendale, Wis., was chosen to install the roof system on the new building.
Shaping up
A PVC membrane roof system was selected for the new building.
"A PVC membrane was chosen for its chemical resistance and ENERGY STAR® rating," says Kim Bowman, CSI, AIA, LEED-AP, director of specifications for SchenkelShultz Architecture, Fort Wayne, Ind. SchenkelShultz Architecture; CSO SchenkelShultz, Indianapolis; and Arch Consortium, Indianapolis, formed AeroDesign Group LLC, Indianapolis, which oversaw the roofing and waterproofing specifications for the project.
"Chemical resistance is needed at an airport because of jet fuel particles in the air and jet exhaust," Bowman continues. "A white, ENERGY STAR-rated roof was also needed for the energy efficiency of the building."
The design of the roof system was complex with different transitions and custom details, built-in gutters, bullnose roof edgings, a unique shape, slopes varying from 1/8-in-12 (6 degrees) to 3-in-12 (14 degrees) and many skylights.
"The roof design is curved," says Bob Peret, owner of Roberts Roofing and Siding. "It is 2,000 squares with 100 skylights, which we installed. The concourse also had two wings with roofs that were 1,000 squares each."
The curved design was taken into account when planning the roof systems.
"The shape of the roof had a lot to do with the system that was used," Bowman says. "There were integral gutters, roof edge nosings, etc. A lot of design issues, roof systems and details had to be considered carefully during the design process."
Roberts Roofing and Siding installed a roof system that was about 6,200 squares. It included two layers of Johns Manville ISO 3 polyisocyanurate insulation over a steel deck, 1/4-inch Johns Manville Invinsa™ cover board and a 60-mil fully adhered Johns Manville fleece-backed PVC roof system. To attach the insulation, Roberts Roofing and Siding used 18 Johns Manville UltraFast® fasteners per board and Johns Manville Urethane Insulation Adhesive.
"Besides the ENERGY STAR-rated roof membrane, the additional insulations and energy-efficient HVAC systems helped make the building more energy-efficient," Bowman says.
The magnitude of the job also required installing many skylight curbs and associated flashings—Peret estimates 500. As safety precautions, the company used lanyards and harnesses.
In addition, security precautions had to be taken during the sensitive, high-profile project.
"There was drug testing," Peret says. "And I'm sure they performed background checks to determine whether our employees were a threat. We also needed badges to get into the job site."
Going for green
Because one of the project's purposes was to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)® Green Building Rating System™ and strive for the highest possible LEED certification level, the submittal process posed a challenge.
"The hardest part of the project was the submittal process," Peret says. "Making all the submittals was extremely time-consuming. We had to fill out a three- to four-page form for each product used during the project."
Peret describes the various steps his company needed to take to gain this approval.
"When trying to meet the standards for a LEED-accredited project, you have to research the materials used for the product, find out where the product is manufactured (it must be within 500 miles of the job site), submit it, and get it approved and documented," Peret says. "We applied for points for the insulation, Invinsa cover board, PVC membrane, adhesive, sheet-metal flashing and trim, and skylights.
The material also has to be below a certain volatile organic compound (VOC) content," he continues. "For example, the PVC membrane adhesive had to be a low-VOC product instead of a standard PVC adhesive."
Something new
So far, the unique challenges of the project and its materials have made it rewarding. The project is scheduled to be completed this year.
"We had the satisfaction of performing work for a high-profile project and trying to use new materials, as well," Peret says.
Bowman agrees: "Being able to take part in a project of this size and complexity was satisfying."
Krista Reisdorf is Professional Roofing's manager of online communications.
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