Roofing delivery

When a FedEx package arrives on your doorstep, there is a good chance it traveled through the FedEx Secondary 25 Sorting Facility at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. Built in 2022, the 1.3-million-square-foot, four-level, state-of-the-art facility features modernized package sorting conveyors and distribution equipment as well as 77,000 square feet of office space, maintenance shops, a cafeteria and two bridges that connect to other buildings.

Ideal Building Solutions, Norcross, Ga., was selected by the project’s general contractor, Yates Construction, Philadelphia, Miss., to install the facility’s roof system that encompassed 31 roof areas.

Design and prep

The project site for the FedEx Secondary 25 Sorting Facility used to house the Tennessee Air National Guard’s World War II airplanes. The building’s design incorporates a barrel roof to emulate and preserve the historical look of the hangars. Restored wood demoed from the original hangers were made into custom furnishings and used throughout the building.

The 477,900-square-foot roof system includes 19 low-slope, seven barrel, three canopy and two bridge roof areas. The original roof system design called for standing-seam metal on the barrel roof areas. Josh Barney, senior estimator at Ideal Building Solutions, proposed a decorative PVC roof system that gives the appearance of an architectural metal roof in lieu of a standing-seam roof system.

“After the building owner reviewed the cost savings and approved the new design, the roof was changed to a Sika® Sarnafil Décor PVC roof system,” says Adam McIlwain, director of operations for Ideal Building Solutions. “The estimated cost savings was upwards of $1 million.”

Following the design phase, the Ideal Building Solutions team worked heavily on planning and production.

“Some of the major challenges we faced during the planning stage were how to execute the project safely, loading and the execution of multiple scopes of work at once,” McIlwain says. “Our team’s safety plan was paramount and the most important aspect of the project. There were many safety challenges, but one key challenge was working at heights greater than 100 feet with no parapet walls. Additionally, all the barrel roofs featured 3:12 slopes, exposing the team to high winds.”

Crew members stayed safe by tying off with horizontal lifelines and using fall carts. All materials were anchored to the roof with nylon straps. High winds, extreme heights, steep slopes and no parapet walls made loading materials difficult.

“Working on a project at an airport posed a logistical nightmare,” McIlwain says. “There was little room on the ground to stage the 240-ton crane needed to lift materials 110 feet to the roof. We attached a jib extension to help place materials further into the field of the roof and away from the roof’s leading edge.

“After a load reached the roof, our team had to quickly transport it to the roof areas and then tie it down immediately,” McIlwain continues. “If materials were not placed in the right direction and properly tied down, there was a possibility of roof insulation falling or blowing off the roof and onto an active airport runway—our worst fear!”

Federal Aviation Administration restrictions added another challenge.

“We had to receive FAA approval to use the crane in the morning,” McIlwain says. “If there was too much cloud cover, we were not able to load materials. Some days, we had to wait four hours to begin.”

Working on a newly constructed building also required coordinating work around several other trades.

“Our field team worked with the general contractor to plan every material load,” McIlwain says. “Sometimes, this required other trades workers to stop working on the exterior of the building so we could load the roof materials.”

Installation

Once the materials were loaded and the site prepped for roofing work, the Ideal Building Solutions crew began installing the massive roof system.

On the 196,900-square-foot low-slope roof areas, the team mechanically fastened Georgia-Pacific DensDeck® Prime Roof Boards to the metal roof decks. Next, the team adhered Sarnatherm® ISO polyisocyanurate insulation to the roof boards using Sarnacol® OM Board Adhesive followed by Sarnafil® G410-80 Feltback EnergySmart PVC thermoplastic membrane in reflective gray adhered with Sarnacol 2170 adhesive.

On the 281,000-square-foot steep-slope areas, the team mechanically fastened two layers of Sarnatherm ISO polyisocyanurate insulation and one layer of Georgia-Pacific DensDeck Prime Roof Boards to the metal roof decks. Then, crew members adhered Sarnafil G410-80 Feltback Energy Smart PVC thermoplastic membrane in lead grey with Sarnacol 2170 adhesive.

To replicate the look of standing-seam metal, team members hot-air welded 156,800 linear feet of Sika Décor Profiles ribs also in lead grey.

“That’s 29.6 miles of décor ribs,” McIlwain says. “That’s enough ribs to cover Mount Everest five times!”

To complete the facility’s roof, the team installed a lightning protection system and snow guards at the edges of the barrel roof areas.

“It was our mission to focus on the quality of work being executed each day,” McIlwain says. “More important, we ensured an overall safe environment for our employees and surrounding workers by implementing and adhering to various safety measures day in and day out.”

Ready for takeoff

Despite logistical and safety challenges, in October 2022, the Ideal Building Solutions team successfully completed work on the FedEx Secondary 25 Sorting Facility on time and without incident.

“Ideal Building Solutions faced and overcame multiple challenges, including FAA restrictions for transporting materials,” says Emma Houston, marketing and communications specialist at Sika Roofing, a division of Sika Corp., Canton, Mass. “They were dedicated to producing excellent workmanship every day.”

“This was by far the most challenging and rewarding project of my career,” McIlwain says. “The logistics of working at an active airport was the greatest challenge. It also was rewarding because we saved our customer about $1 million. We were so proud to complete the most complex project in our company’s history with zero safety injuries and bringing the project in under budget.”

CHRYSTINE ELLE HANUS is Professional Roofing’s associate editor and an NRCA director of communications.