Photos courtesy of Insulated Roofing Contractors, New Albany, Ind. North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe Ill.

North Shore Congregation Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Glencoe, Ill., was built in 1964. Its style is distinctive with a unique roof system that features various angles and slopes, as well as many skylights.

When the roof system began to experience leaks, synagogue officials decided to replace it with a spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roof system and protective coatings, similar to the existing roof system. Insulated Roofing Contractors, New Albany, Ind., bid the project and was chosen to install the roof system.

A unique situation

The existing 15,000-square-foot roof system was 30 years old and consisted of 2-inch-thick SPF and an acrylic coating installed directly to a concrete deck.

The building's design complicated the tear-off process.

"Because of the unique configuration of the sanctuary, which involved an arched design and steep slopes, we installed tie-off points at the top of each roof section," says Jim Kaiser, senior project manager for Insulated Roofing Contractors. "The tie-off points allowed the two-man tear-off crew to remove the top area of each section safely while standing on the roof. Spud bars were used to remove the existing roof.

"The bottom portion of each section was removed using a 120-foot-high articulating man lift, which provided versatile positioning capabilities," he continues. "The man lift provided a safe work platform for the crew because the arched design and steep slopes made standing on the lower portion of each section impossible. The old roofing material was dropped to the ground below and carted 300 feet to the job-site trash bins. The ground area was roped off while roofing materials were being removed and dropped."

Once the existing roof system was removed, the company primed the concrete deck and began to install an SPF roof system.

"BASF Corp.'s SPF was installed at a 2-inch thickness over the primed concrete surface," Kaiser says. "Two coats of 10-mil-thick United Coatings Corp.'s acrylic coating were installed over the SPF.

"We then installed two more 10-mil-thick coats of white United Coatings' KYMAX® as a finish coat," he continues, "We spray applied the SPF and coatings from the man lift."

Kaiser says the most significant obstacle during the project was safety.

"The design's steep slopes made it difficult for the crew to feel completely comfortable while working," he says. "They had to remain alert at all times to stay safe.

"Our biggest challenge was providing a safe work environment for our employees during the new roof system's removal and installation," he continues. "The man lift was required in each section to install the new roof from top to bottom."

The rewards

The roof's configuration was a challenge and a unique aspect of the project, Kaiser says. Seeing the project's successful completion is satisfying.

"Seeing the aerial photos of the completed project, as well as seeing a satisfied customer, were the most rewarding parts of the project," he says.

Krista Reisdorf is Professional Roofing's director of online communications.

Project name: North Shore Congregation Israel
Project location: Glencoe, Ill.
Project duration: August 2008-September 2008
Roof system type: Spray polyurethane foam
Roofing contractor: Insulated Roofing Contractors, New Albany, Ind.
Roofing manufacturer: BASF Corp., Florham Park, N.J.