Photo courtesy of Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga.
Photo courtesy of Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga.
Photo courtesy of Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga.
Photo courtesy of Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans was reported to be the most extensively damaged hotel in New Orleans. Because of the significant damage the 30-story building sustained, it has been closed to the public for two years while it undergoes significant repairs.
The hotel's roof system sustained major damage caused by high winds and falling glass. So Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga., with whom Hyatt has a national account, was asked to remove and replace the damaged roof system.
A slow process
Work began on the 130,000-square-foot roof system Oct. 24, 2006. Removal of the existing roof system—which consisted of Performance Roof Systems Inc.'s three-ply Derbigum® membrane, a fiberglass-faced gypsum panel, polyisocyanurate insulation, and concrete and steel deck—proved to be challenging because of multiple roof elevations on the building's various levels.
"We used roof cutters to cut the existing roof system into manageable sections," says Robert Peterson, Superior Commercial Roofing's vice president of operations. "Then, we used a rolling conveyer track system to move the debris and material to a swing-frame hoist and cabled it down 24 stories to the roof's lower sections. From there, we moved the debris to a chute and dropped it down three more stories to a trash bin."
After removal of the existing roof system was complete, Superior Commercial Roofing installed USG's 1/2-inch-thick SECUROCK® roof board over Derbiboard® insulation. More than 8,100 roof boards were used. In some areas, the boards were mechanically fastened; other boards were adhered with a low-rise adhesive. Two layers of Derbibase® base sheet and one layer of Derbicolor® GP white granule-surfaced APP-polymer-modified bitumen membrane set in adhesive then were applied.
"After Hurricane Katrina, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans' owners wanted a replacement roof system that would provide maximum performance in high-wind conditions," says Dave Bailie, USG's marketing manager—roofing products. "This drove the product selection because the Derbigum/SECUROCK roof system assembly had been tested to provide that security."
The building's upper roof areas were not accessible by crane, so several access points were required to get the materials to the different roof levels.
"All materials were lifted by crane to the third floor," Peterson says. "To roof the higher sections, we had to hoist the materials up 25 stories to the tower's roof. The materials then were sent up one story and moved to the next staging area, then lifted up two more stories."
A tall challenge
The building's 390-foot height proved to be a challenge for Superior Commercial Roofing.
"This is the tallest building we have roofed," Peterson says. "Because of the high winds occurring at that height, the safety of our workers, handling of our materials and our responsibility for nearby pedestrians were constant concerns for us.
"The wind was unpredictable—it dictated how we could proceed with the job," Peterson continues. "There were days when we had to stop work on the higher levels because of wind gusts above 50 mph."
To ensure its workers' safety, Superior Commercial Roofing instituted a number of safety precautions for this project.
"We used warning lines incorporating safety stands, yellow rope and caution tape flags for our perimeter lines," Peterson says. "We also wore body harnesses and fastened our personal protective equipment to wall anchors."
In addition, Superior Commercial Roofing set up surveillance cameras at the work site so it could monitor its employees' safety on a real-time basis from its headquarters.
"The surveillance cameras allowed us to dial in and see our men performing work," Peterson says. "The cameras recorded what the workers were doing at all times."
Memorable work
Superior Commercial Roofing completed work on the Hyatt Regency New Orleans July 3, one month ahead of schedule. And the project proved to be memorable.
"Being a part of the reconstruction in New Orleans was definitely the most rewarding part of this job," Peterson says.
Ashley St. John is Professional Roofing's associate editor.
Project name: Hyatt Regency New Orleans
Project location: New Orleans
Project duration: October 2006-July 2007
Roof system type: Cold-applied modified bitumen
Roofing contractor: Superior Commercial Roofing, Tucker, Ga.
Roofing manufacturer: Performance Roof Systems Inc., Kansas City, Mo., and USG, Chicago
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