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Vinyl Shapes Transportation Hub into Lake Erie Centerpiece
Five hundred feet from the Lake Erie shoreline sits a showplace that was once meant only to be a parking facility. Buffeted by the gusting winds and relentless snow of Erie, Pennsylvania, winters, the vinyl roofing system of what is now the Erie Intermodal Transportation Center defines and protects the 56,000 square foot hub for buses, taxi cabs, limousines, water taxis and ferry boats and also includes space for offices and retail stores.
"We wanted the Center to be a focal point on the revitalized Erie bayfront," said Lorene McGuire, grants/planning manager at the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA). "We wanted it to be a beacon for boaters on Lake Erie, as well as travelers of all kinds. So, the aesthetics of the building were very important."
The architectural concept created by Roth Marz Partnership envisioned a striking combination of brick and glass with two dramatic domed standing seam metal roofs.
"Initially the two domed roofs joined by the linear barrel vault were to be clad in metal, because it complemented the design of the building and set it apart from others around it," said Robert Marz, vice president, Roth Marz Partnership. "We actually bid out the project using metal on the roofs, but it came in over budget."
A search for alternative materials led Marz to vinyl. He found Sarnafil's Décor Roof System, an adhered, 60 mil G410 Patina Green membrane that could provide the appearance of a traditional metal roof, a cost savings of nearly $1 million and the ability to withstand some of the harshest winters in North America.
"The Patina Green color gave us the look of aged copper which was exactly what we had in mind. But more importantly, the owners would get the long-term, proven performance they required," said Marz. The heat-welded seams of thermoplastic vinyl formed a permanent, watertight bond that is stronger than the membrane itself.
Producing a truly rounded shape on the two domed roof sections required the workers of A.W. Farrell & Son, the installer, to cut the insulation and roof membranes into triangular pieces. The layout and configuration of the insulation and membrane were critical to the appearance and performance of the roof system, so A.W. Farrell worked with Sarnafil technical representatives to design special schematics and details that saved countless hours of hand fabrication.
The membrane, which was fabricated to meet the exact dimensions of the roof, was installed in the dead of winter. In the spring, extruded Décor profiles were hot-air welded to the membrane.
"I run into people all the time that think it's really a metal roof. The profiles create just enough shadow to break up the flat sheet, create the vaulted look and simulate an architectural metal roof," said Marz. "Not only does the Center have roofs that provide the leak-proof security of hot-air welded thermoplastic, but it's got the look of standing seam metal at a fraction of the cost."
"We love the roofs on our new complex," said EMTA's McGuire. "The building's shape, along with the colored roofs, makes the Center a virtual showplace. Everybody in Erie knows exactly where the Intermodal Transportation Center is."
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