Detroit Roofing Inspection Service, the roofing consultant, was responsible for making up the bid list and selecting the roofing contractors. Everyone associated with the project thought that while having two separate roofing contractors was novel, it brought out the competitive spirit of both and produced the desired result for The Taubman Company, Inc., the owners of the mall. "We're proponents of using two contractors on one job," said Tom Webb, Senior Project Manager with Sordoni Skanska Construction Company, the general contractor for the project. "This was a huge job requiring 100 workers. With one roofing contractor, you won't get the best talent available. By using two, we got the best workers from both companies and it resulted in good, healthy competition," he said.

 

The two contractors were installing up to 50,000 square feet of built-up roof on the flat areas of the roof each day. EPDM single ply was used on the slopes. "Usually new construction of this size is specified for single ply, but this one was specified built-up," said Bill Borgiel, president of Lutz Roofing. "A lot of traffic is anticipated on the roof of this project and a built-up roof is the most durable," he said.

 

 Bart Colthurst, president of Detroit Roofing Inspection Service felt a built-up roof was a better choice for winter installation. "We began the project in November and were reluctant to put on a rubber roof and felt that four ply asphalt is easy to install in any weather. This structure was designed with good drainage," he said.

 

The Johns Manville built-up roofing system consisted of 2½ inches of E'NRG'Y 2™ and ½ inch Retro-Fit® Board insulations, 4 layers of GlasPly™ IV felt and DynaFlex® flashing. JM UltraGard® EPDM was used on the sloped areas. The entire roofing system is covered by a 10-year No Dollar Limit Guarantee.

 

"We used a wide range of Johns Manville products on that roof," said Mike Puzan, operations manager for C. Davis Roofing. "Is was good for us to be able to use one manufacturer throughout the entire project."

 

The architect on the project was JPRA Architects of Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Johns Manville representative was Sue Baumberger.

 

Johns Manville (NYSE:JM) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium quality insulation and building products. The 141-year-old Denver-based company had sales of $1.8 billion in 1998. Johns Manville produces and markets insulation products for buildings and equipment; commercial/industrial roofing systems; and engineered products including high-efficiency filtration media, fibers, fabric and nonwoven mats used as reinforcements in building and industrial applications. Johns Manville employs approximately 9,200 people and operates 54 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com