Installing a new roof system and solar canopy at an active train station required exceptional safety measures, planning and know-how.

Advanced Roofing Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., put its unique capabilities and skill set to the test in December 2015 when Gulf Building, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., selected ARI through a public bid to perform roofing and solar work. The project leveraged ARI's experience with roof system and solar installations while working under a fixed set of plans and a design-build project. The project was completed in July 2017.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority project in Pompano Beach, Fla., included an office building to serve as SFRTA headquarters, a Tri-Rail station and a four-story parking garage.

ARI was hired to install a single-ply roof system on the office building; a metal roof system on the train station; and custom solar canopy on the parking garage.

One for all and all for one

ARI knows each part contributes to the whole.

DensDeck cover board was adhered with FTR 601 foam adhesive to the insulation.

ARI installed a FiberTite single-ply roof system on the three-story, 40,000-square-foot low-slope roof of the SFRTA headquarters, as well as smaller roof sections of the parking garage.

The materials used during installation included a fully adhered FTR-value polyisocyanurate insulation adhered with Fibertite FTR 601 adhesive to the structural concrete deck. DensDeck cover board adhered with FTR 601 to the polyisocyanurate insulation was followed by a fully adhered 60-mil FiberTite-SM KEE membrane adhered with FTR 190 bonding adhesive to the DensDeck.

"Because of the building being design build, there was a minor design issue with the drainage our team needed to overcome," says Clint Sockman, vice president of ARI. "By altering the tapered insulation package design and fabricating supplemental scuppers, ARI was able to match the aesthetics of the building and allow for the proper drainage."

ARI installed an IMETCO structural standing-seam metal roof on the 30,000-square-foot train station. It was factory-painted with a custom Galaxy Blue color. ARI then installed the roof directly over the exposed purlins per the architect's design. Additionally, the architect's specification required a half-round gutter to be custom-fabricated using a 20-foot Jorns double bender brake. ARI made the the 1/4-of-an-inch by 1-inch steel gutter brackets in-house. After 975 brackets were formed, ARI hand-painted them to match the color of the beam structure. The train station roof system also included a safety platform for the SFRTA workers to perform regular train maintenance.

ISO insulation then was installed with FTR 190 bonding adhesive to the DensDeck.

ARI installed a 226.8 kW, 20-foot tall solar canopy on the top level of the three-story parking garage that can produce up to 340,000 kWh per year—the equivalent of powering 32 homes in Florida. The system also is designed to meet hurricane-force wind speeds up to 175 mph. The solar canopy used Heliene solar panels, SMA inverters and an Advanced Green Technologies custom racking system.

Triple play

ARI is pleased with the outcome of this 20-month project. Its team of 20 field workers completed the job on time, on budget and—most important—with no recorded injuries, despite its proximity to functioning train tracks.

ARI installed a single-ply roof system on the office building; a metal roof system on the train station; and custom solar canopy on the parking garage.

All crew members working at the train station were required to take a four-hour safety class, and those onsite had to pass an eight-hour Road Workers Protection Class. A Tri-Tech system installed at the train station above the tracks provided permanent fall safety protection for workers who perform future maintenance on top of the rail; the system allows workers to tie off and work above the railway.

"Because the train station was in operation during the project, anyone working within 20 feet of the track was required to stop work every time a train pulled into the station," Sockman says. "To overcome this challenge, our team scheduled work within those areas during non-peak hours to limit down time."

ARI is proud to be part of a multi-assembly project that is such an integral part of its community.

For more information about Advanced Roofing Inc., click here.