Eliminate Roofing Worries...

Unique Fail-Safe Solutions at Reid Hospital & Health Care Services

The patio serves as a recreation area for Reid Hospital and Health Care Services personnel.


It would be difficult to imagine an environment more vulnerable to contamination than a surgical suite. According to Gary Bowen, director of surgery at Reid Hospital in Indiana, "the inconvenience of roof leaks here can be devastating."


It was during the 1980's when Reid Hospital first began experiencing problems with a 4-ply built-up roof that had been installed in 1972. But since a concrete plaza deck was in place above the roof, finding a safe and efficient re-roofing solution that was financially feasible was a major challenge.

When Jerry Swango was apppointed manager of maintenance services at the hospital in 1987, he quickly saw the enormity of the problem that was developing. Says Swango, "It was a case where there were complaints being made not only to maintenance but to administration. Since 1986, we had been investigating the cost of replacing the roof on the plaza deck, with estimates as high as half a million dollars." For cost reasons, the hospital attempted to "manage" the leakage for as long as possible. But by early 1995, according to Swango, "we'd reached the point where we had to stop patching and start replacing".

Garland Technical Representative Rick Ryherd has been helping Swango carry out the hospital's roof maintenance and replacement program since 1991. Says Ryherd, "Right from the start, Jerry took an aggressive, long-term problem-solving approach to roof management. He put together a team that also included Jim Huntington (operations manager, AAA Roofing Company), and worked with us until we found an acceptable solution to the plaza deck problems."

Swango recalls that it was a roofing management seminar he attended at Purdue University in 1991 that first sold him on the long-term advantages of modified built-up roofing, says Swango, "When Rick suggested StressPly "E", I understood that the up-front cost of this kind of modified built-up system would be more expensive. But in the long run, instead of having a ten-year life expectancy, I knew that with a common-sense maintenance program in place, I could get 25 or 30 years of service out of the Garland roof.

The plaza deck that rests on top of the roof supports heavy outdoor furniture in addition to frequent foot traffic, so the team knew at the outset that the roofing system would have to handle significant loads. Says Huntington, "The biggest problem was the concrete wear deck on top of the finished roof surface. We couldn't take any chance of damaging the new roof system. The solution we came up with was to totally remove the 18,000 Sq. Ft. of plaza deck. Because of the interior plaza location, its half-moon architectural design, and the critical surgical units below, all of the concrete had to be saw cut and removed by hand."

Says Swango, "We had over three weeks of concrete removal alone. After AAA Roofing removed the concrete, we found an inverted BUR system, one inch of extruded polystyrene over a 4-ply smooth asphalt BUR. We cleaned all the insulation from the roof, leaving only the existing BUR to act as a temporary water proofer."

According to Huntington, "After 3 weeks we were finally in a position to control the actual replacement of the old built-up roof." The Garland Company specified total removal of the old BUR down to the concrete deck. A vented base sheet was spot mopped over the concrete deck to allow for the release of any moisture. After that, we put down two plies of Garland Type VI felt, in Garlastic asphalt, then two plies of StressPly "E", running the two plies perpendicular to each other. The entire new high-performance modified system was then top mopped with Garlastic.

Due to the sensitivity and importance of the waterproofing integrity of this structure, Jerry Swango elected to test the new system before any concrete was poured. Six-inch PCV pipe inserts were installed at all drains. The roof was then flooded with water, two inches below the top of the flashings around the roof perimeters. Says Ryherd,
"The entire roof looked like a swimmimg pool."

Replied Swango, "It was a big test, but we had to be sure that there were no problems before we installed the concrete patio surface."

Happily, Swango determined there were no leaks.

Subcontractor Wayne Concrete of Richmond, Indiana then put down one inch of high-density styrofoam insulation on top of the roof, before pouring a new four-inch tapered concrete plaza deck. The insulation buffer was added to avoid compromising the integrity of the system with the abrasive action of the concrete. Says Huntington, "This is as tough a system as we could put down. The application warrants it."

Swango atttributes the success of this project to what he calls "the unique relationship that exists between Rick, Jim and myself. As facilities manager for a hospital, you can imagine the kinds of concerns that were expressed about putting down hot asphalt. There was also the sterile work environment down below to consider. Rick and Jim have been willing to work with us to get the job done as efficiently as possible...We anticipate that with a common sense maintenance program, this roof is going to last four times longer than any single-ply membrane."