Photos courtesy of Petersen Aluminum Corp., Elk Grove Village, Ill. St. Joseph Mercy Health Center&emdash;Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery

St. Joseph Mercy Health Center, Canton, Mich., opened the Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery in December 2009. The outpatient facility offers various advanced services and includes three minimally invasive surgery suites with the latest in surgical technologies; three universal treatment rooms; and 19 surgery pre-op/recovery bays.

When the 53,000-square-foot facility was being planned, the general contractor invited Lutz Roofing Co. Inc., Shelby Township, Mich., to bid. The company was chosen to install the new facility's roof system.

Installation

Over the metal deck, Lutz Roofing installed one layer of 5/8-inch-thick DensGlass® exterior board followed by a Firestone peel-and-stick base sheet. The company then installed 4-inch-thick polyisocyanurate insulation; a Grace Ice & Water Shield®; about 13,200 square feet of Peterson Aluminum Corp. 24-gauge, 18-inch SNAP-CLAD panels; and about 3,800 square feet of Petersen Aluminum 24-gauge, 16-inch Tite-Loc panels.

The SNAP-CLAD panels were used for the main portion of the building's roof, and the Tite-Loc panels were used for the building's barrel roof and entrance canopy. Additionally, about 2,800 square feet of Petersen Aluminum 12-inch PAC-CLAD Flush Panels were used for soffit and trim applications.

St. Joseph Mercy Health Center&emdash;Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery

"The first panel, SNAP-CLAD, was on the straight run to match the existing panel system," says Jim Borgiel, president of Lutz Roofing's sheet metal department. "The Tite-Loc panel was used on the radius area because of the curving options. The composite panels were used to clad the canopies with something that would not oil-can."

Transporting materials to the roof required extra effort.

"The Tite-Loc radius panels were long&emdash;60 feet," says Jim Borgiel, president of Lutz Roofing's sheet metal department. "The challenge was getting them up to the roof. We had to erect a steel radius platform that would support the panels while they were being lifted by the crane. And, of course, we had a tight time frame, but we're accustomed to that."

Weather and terrain also were challenges during the project. Lutz Roofing's fall protection included being 100 percent tied off and using man lifts.

"This job was performed during the middle of winter, so snow, ice and severe temperatures made it challenging to stay on track," Borgiel says. "The terrain was rutted and frozen, so it was hard to maneuver man lifts and perform other tasks. But the challenges were overcome with strong will."

A job well done

St. Joseph Mercy Health Center&emdash;Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery

Borgiel says the variety of products used made the project unique.

"When using different types of panel systems&emdash;even when they are made by the same manufacturer&emdash;you never know whether they are going to fit together properly," he says. "Using the SNAP-CLAD, Tite-Loc and Flush Panel systems on the same building, along with the large radius, made this a unique project."

Overcoming the project's various challenges was rewarding.

"We felt immense relief when the project was completed because of the pressure to finish on time while performing a panel job during the middle of winter," Borgiel says. "We were proud of how the radius panels turned out. They look terrific."

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

Project name: St. Joseph Mercy Health Center&emdash;Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery
Project location: Canton, Mich.
Project duration: Dec. 10, 2008-Feb. 10, 2009
Roof system type: Metal panel
Roofing contractor: Lutz Roofing Co. Inc., Shelby Township, Mich.
Roofing manufacturer: Petersen Aluminum Corp. , Elk Grove Village, Ill.