Chicago, Illinois (1/11/2007) --- Greg Prather, vice president and general manager with Jones Lang LaSalle, knew that he needed a roofing contractor he could trust to re-roof the historic, award-winning LaSalle Bank Building in downtown Chicago. Prather knew he wanted a good quality roof installed without a torch or hot asphalt. He also wanted a reflective roof that would reduce heat load, contribute LEED objectives and embrace upcoming Chicago energy codes.
The roofing contractor, Preservation Services of Romeoville, IL was chosen for the project and suggested a new innovative specification for the roofing system that included the partnership of two new products by Johns Manville (JM) and ELMS®, a soy-based reflective coating by Green Products, LLC.
“We selected Preservation Services for this job because I’ve worked with them a long time and trust them,” Prather said. “They are the experts, and I knew they would provide the best roofing system available.”
Preservation Services recommended the combination of JM Invinsa™ Roof Board, which is a resilient, lightweight cover board; JMCleanBond™, a premium, self-adhering, fire-resistant fiber glass reinforced roofing membrane; and ELMS.
“This specification is a prototype that provides superior performance characteristics, while addressing environmental concerns in the roofing industry,” said Keith Walker, president of Preservation Services. “The JMCleanBond self-adhering membrane is very durable and environmentally friendly. The JM/ELMS system allows the installation to comply with several LEED criteria.”
The project presented a number of logistical challenges, which made the use of Invinsa critical. The 1890s landmark building is 45 stories tall and has 32 different roof levels, most of which are outside office building windows. All access was through existing office space, which required the team to work at night and stage the materials in the mechanical room on one floor. The roof areas are very small, from 56 to 220 square feet.
“Invinsa worked perfectly with the handling and staging challenges,” Walker said. “It’s light weight, clean, easy to use and adds a resilient layer of protection. It was easy to cut, and get a tight fit around penetrations. Everyone loves it.”
Demolition of the old roof was done at night down to the concrete deck. Invinsa was applied over the deck in MBR® Bonding Adhesive. Three plies of SBS JMCleanBond were self-adhered to the cover board followed by a JMCleanBond cap sheet. The ELMS coating was then applied to provide a 20-year warranted system.
Prather was more than satisfied with the entire installation. There were no asphalt fumes or open flames. Most importantly, the roofing system respects the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria.
“We were very pleased with the job done by Preservation Services,” Prather said. One of my requirements is that a contractor needs to get in and out without anyone knowing they’ve been there. Preservation Services did that.”
Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. The Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2.5 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs about 8,500 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.
