Reid Building Roof Replacement

Designing the roof replacement at the Reid Building proved to be a challenging task. The fieldwork and existing drawings revealed that the Reid Building has had several different eras of construction, featuring four different types of roof decks, making the design anything but straight forward. Calculations revealed that many of the roof areas did not have adequate drainage or R-value. Several roof areas had pourable thermosetting insulation fill that is very difficult to remove. Despite these challenges, Atlas was able to produce a set of design drawings and specs that clearly defined the work scope and what was expected from the contractor. The design incorporated the installation of a new single ply thermoplastic membrane over the majority of the roof areas, a standing seam metal roof over the gym roof, and coating over a small area to extend the roof's service life so that a future structural renovation could take place near this area. The design also included drainage improvements and removal of asbestos containing materials.

During the bidding process, Atlas and WCU encountered budgeting issues that lead to the need to value-engineer aspects of the project. Originally, Atlas designed a portion of the roof to be replaced with a standing seam metal roof, however, Atlas negotiated with the low bidding contractor and the manufacturer for the single ply roofing system to utilize Sika's extruded rib system, to simulate the look of a standing seam metal roof. This allowed Atlas to bring the project into budget.

Moving into CA, Atlas and the low bidding contractor faced challenges due to construction starting in the winter. Many of the adhesives used in construction require certain temperatures for application, and the cold winters of Cullowhee made this a challenge. Atlas was able to work with the contractor to prioritize what needed to be accomplished early on. The contractor was able to work with the manufacturer and acquire a different adhesive that can be installed in lower temperatures. Once winter was over, Atlas and the contractor continued to struggle with rainy weather. Coordination with the facility was also a large part of the CA for this project. Due to the large amount of dust on the underside of the gym ceiling, the gym had to be closed to the students while construction at the gym roof was taking place. Despite these challenges and many others, WCU, Atlas, and the contractor were able to have a project that everyone could be proud of.