Project profile: Livonia re-roofing

BASF Keeps it in the Family with Livonia Facility Re-Roofing Project

 

Owner

• BASF CorporationBuilding
• 110,000 square-foot manufacturing facility

 

Problems

• Failing single-ply PVC roof
• Severe leaks
• Single-ply seam failure
• Punctures from equipment maintenance

 

Solution

• BASF ELASTOSPRAY® roofing system using ZONE3® zero-ozone-depleting blowing-agent technology

 

Advantages

• Environmental responsibility
• Seamless, self-adhering with no mechanical fasteners
• Long-lasting, leak-free performance
• No disruption to occupants during installation
• Excellent insulation R-value of 6.3/inch
• Improved building energy efficiency

 

“If it’s raining inside the building, it’s just not a good thing.”

 

Steve Schafer is the Facility Manager at BASF Corporation’s Livonia, MI, facility, a 110,000-square-foot plant that manufactures urethane systems for use in a range of products from toys and food coolers to automotive parts and kidney-dialysis filters. The facility had an old, single-ply PVC roof that was cracking and brittle. It was experiencing severe leaks due to seam failures and punctures from the routine maintenance of equipment installed on the roof.

 

“We had to replace it before we had a major failure,” says Schafer.

 

Choosing a new roof for the facility was easy. BASF’s Livonia site would ‘keep it in the family’ by selecting an ELASTOSPRAY® spray-applied polyurethane foam (SPF) system from BASF Corporation.

A roof system is only as good as the contractor who installs it.

 

“A select group was chosen to quote based on recommendations from BASF,” says Schafer. “We are very satisfied with the work West Roofing Systems put into our roof. The superintendent was excellent and the roof looks great. We would definitely use them again.”

 

Brian Chavalia, Project Manager for West Roofing, and Mearl “Skip” Klein, Senior Sales Rep, were involved in the successful completion of the project. Kline says the hardest part of the Livonia project was battling Mother Nature.

 

“We had to monitor the weather very closely. Other than that, it was a very routine installation, with no real surprises,” says Klein.

 

That means no disruption to the manufacturing process and little impact on the plant’s 70 employees. “Overall, the roof is great,” says Schafer. “This one was a real no-brainer.”

 

“We like to use our company’s products wherever possible,” he says. “For one thing, it shows faith in BASF products on the whole. For another, it allows us to showcase the product to potential customers. In the last few months, we’ve had several potential purchasers of ELASTOSPRAY SPF roofs come and tour our facility and see the system’s performance in person.”

 

Family pride wasn’t the only consideration. Like other building owners, the roof system choice had to be a sound business decision. By selecting an SPF roof, Schafer was able to save money and protect the environment too. The system installed at the Livonia facility uses ZONE3® zero-ozone-depleting blowing-agent technology.

 

Another environmental consideration is that SPF installs directly onto the existing substrate in most cases, saving disposal costs and preventing the old material from ending up in a landfill. And because the existing roof insulation is also preserved, the addition of SPF’s efficient, high R-value insulation ensures reduced energy consumption for the building.