Soaring to success

R. Commercial Roofing Solutions installs a roof system on a Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminal

Chicago O'Hare International Airport serves an average of more than 2,400 aircraft operations per day; in fact, in 2014, it was the busiest airport in the world in terms of the number of annual aircraft operations.

With the everyday hustle and bustle that accompanies those numbers, a unique challenge was presented when the airport needed a new roof system for Terminal 5, its international terminal.

R. Commercial Roofing Solutions, Schaumburg, Ill., was up for the challenge and won the bid for the $5.68 million project. The company was asked to install a complete roof system replacement on the terminal, which totaled more than 8 acres.

Installation

The airport terminal's original 400,000-square-foot roof system consisted of concrete decks; metal decks; 7-inch-thick tapered polyisocyanurate insulation; 5-inch-thick flat polyisocyanurate insulation with a 1/2-inch-thick wood fiber cover board; loose-laid 60-mil EPDM; and ballast pavers. The clerestory was a white mechanically fastened Sarnafil roof system.

R. Commercial Roofing Solutions removed about 470,000 concrete ballast pavers; the existing roof membrane; all existing sheet metal; existing staircases; and removed and replaced all wet polyisocyanurate insulation. The company was asked to recycle all concrete, membrane and sheet metal it removed.

R. Commercial Roofing Solutions then installed a mechanically fastened USG Securock® 1/2-inch-thick cover board; fully adhered fleeceback 80-mil Sarnafil PVC white membrane roof system and flashings; a new walkway system; a LiveRoof® vegetative roof; and new staircases. The company also dismantled and stored the lightning rods.

Four crews of about 50 workers total worked on the project. Five subcontractors handled the HVAC, plumbing, sheet metal, crane and lightning protection aspects of the project.

Considering the busy project location, safety especially was crucial during the project.

"Terminal 5 was split into 21 areas-each area was different and had its own safety requirements," says Brian Matheson, general manager for R. Commercial Roofing Solutions. "Our company submitted a plan for approval for each area before the project began."

Safety measures included full tie-off at the perimeter edge; flagging all roof areas; weekly safety meetings onsite with all crew members; and back braces and gloves for crew members during the concrete paver removal.

Additionally, safety personnel were placed in areas on the airside (which includes all areas accessible to aircraft) to conduct traffic routes for company vehicles, dumpsters and cranes, and to keep the area clean and open.

Facing challenges

The unique project posed various challenges, including getting materials to the job site.

"All trucks were escorted to the airside of the airport, which went smoothly," Matheson says. "But then came the challenge of getting the materials to hard-to-reach areas. We accomplished this by using conveyors, carts and special hoist systems. We also had staged areas at two locations at each end of the airport and used forklifts and trucks to bring in materials from these locations."

The company also was at the mercy of flight schedules.

"If we were working in an approved area, we would have to move immediately if a plane was rerouted to that hanger area," Matheson says. "Every day at 1:30 p.m., we had to be off the roof when all the international planes were coming in. Some days, it was a big push to complete tasks on time."

In addition, the company sometimes had to work under the Airport Transit System tracks.

"There's only about 3 feet of head room, and it was cave-like," Matheson says. "We had to shut one track down at a time and work at night. Our crews worked smart and hard and came up with ideas to move debris and new material in on sleds."

The project took longer than expected because of weather conditions, detail changes and mobilization access areas.

Achieving quality

"This project had a variety of activities, challenges and solutions for every area," Matheson says. "We were working on up to four areas at once with materials, equipment, manpower and detail questions needed for each."

All the challenges the company faced made the finished project that much sweeter.

"Not losing a day to injury and seeing the end result of our quality completed project, knowing what it took to achieve that, was rewarding," Matheson says.

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



Project name: Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Terminal 5
Project location: Chicago
Project duration: March 2014-October 2015
Roof system type: PVC membrane and vegetative
Roofing contractor: R. Commercial Roofing Solutions, Schaumburg, Ill.
Roofing manufacturer: Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., and LiveRoof LLC, Nunica, Mich.