What started as a two-room schoolhouse in 1897 for 50 students has evolved into a large campus educating 260 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Ravinia Elementary School, one of the oldest and most architecturally significant civic buildings in Highland Park, Ill., recently received a renovation and addition project that positions it for the future. Chief among the accomplishments was replacing old, worn, cedar shakes with new synthetic shakes and a snow-retention system.
“The building needed significant improvements to better support increased enrollment, expanded programming, and evolving educational practices,” says Vince Procaccio, senior project architect at Wight & Company out of Darien, Ill. “This project addressed those issues with care, while preserving the architectural features and overall feel that have made Ravinia such a recognizable part of the neighborhood.”
MATERIAL NEEDS
When it came to the roof, the high maintenance obligations on the district for handling the natural wood shakes had to be addressed.
To replace the rotting wood shakes, synthetic shakes were chosen to maintain the appearance and character of a cedar shake roof while providing the durability, reduced maintenance, and fire performance needed for the institutional building.
To ensure that ice and snow move safely off the new roof in winter weather, a NoFlash II two-bar snow fence system in dark bronze from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards was specified.
SAFETY CONCERNS
“Whenever steep-slope synthetic roofing is installed, there’s an important design consideration need for snow-retention systems to help manage snow and ice movement,” says Tony Loden, associate, senior building envelope consultant with INSPEC, Inc. “These are especially needed above entrances, sidewalks, and other occupied areas.
“Properly designed snow-retention systems help control the release of accumulated snow and ice, reducing the potential for sudden sliding events while protecting pedestrians, landscaping, equipment, and adjacent property.”
Loden’s firm specifically chose the NoFlash II system based on the double-rod style and the overall look it presents against the composite wood-shake roof.
JOBSITE ISSUES
Specifying composite roofing for snow-load systems offers many of the same advantages that composite roofs offer for solar-panel installations.
For contractors, installing the synthetic roofing material is significantly easier and faster than installing more rigid roofing products like natural slate or clay. Additionally, installing snow-load or solar systems over a composite roof is easier than with slate or clay. Because the durable synthetic roofing material will not break when walked on, contractors have an easier time installing, get fewer callbacks, and it’s also easier to access the snow or solar arrays should they need repairing in the future. The premium synthetic roofing material also presents an upselling opportunity for construction firms.
PROPERTY ADVANTAGES
Contractors and architects should explain the material advantages to customers.
For property owners, a long roof lifespan reduces replacement risk. Snow-retention systems may include a warranty for up to 50 years, and solar panels are typically designed to last 25 years or more. If the roof isn’t designed to last that long, then property owners will need to remove the snow systems or solar panels to replace the roof, adding to costs and increasing the possibility of damage. A composite roof can last 50 years or longer, whereas asphalt shingles, for example, typically require replacement every 15 to 20 years.
The fire and impact resistance of composite roofing also improves safety for the occupants of the building.
Furthermore, composite roofing requires virtually no maintenance, which complements the low-maintenance characteristics of a snow-load system.
for more information
Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. manufactures snow guards and fence-style snow retention systems designed to protect people and property. The company offers free layouts and quotes for product placement, plus free training for roofing contractors and architects. For more, visit www.rockymountainsnowguards.com or call 877.414.7606.