Copper Roof Recreation

by Jonathan McGaha | 31 January 2016 12:00 am

Canopy-style roof renovation corrects leak-causing deficiencies

 

The Miller Outdoor Theatre for the performing arts in Houston offers a wide range of professional entertainment, including classical music, jazz, ballet, Shakespeare, musical theater and classic films, with free performances running from March through November. The general public can relax in a covered seating area under a canopy-style roof. But this leaky roof needed repairs after years of shelter.

To remedy this, Byrne Metals, Humble, Texas, installed more than 18,000 square feet of Bossier City, La.-based McElroy Metal’s copper 238T standing seam panels during 2013-2014’s five-month offseason with a rollformer that ran panels right onto the roof deck.

“Everyone else who had tried to fix the problems focused on trying not to change the appearance,” says Karl Schaack, PE, president of Houston-based Price Consulting, the project’s consultant. “We realized providing a leak-free solution required some change in the appearance. We got a little pushback at first, but when we explained our design, they were just happy to know it wasn’t going to leak anymore.”

“It was a very challenging job,” says Neil Byrne, president of Byrne Metals. “This is an iconic structure in Houston, originally built in 1968. At the time, it won several awards for its design.” Unfortunately, right from the start, the design didn’t hold up against the Texas rains. For more than 40 years, anyone who was hired to fix the problem, failed. Schaack chose McElroy Metal’s 238T symmetrical panels for the project because, “[They’re] rigid and meet high-wind requirements,” he says. “The 238T is symmetrical so if a panel gets damaged, you only have to replace one panel.”

The multimillion dollar renovation in Hermann Park served to correct canopy deficiencies that caused leaks above the stage as well as the audience, putting a real damper on the theater’s cultural and educational event offerings. English + Associated Architects Inc., Houston, served as the reroofing’s architect, and HC Co. Southwest LLC, Houston, and Pin Oak Interests LLC, Houston, were its general contractors.

Byrne Metals went to work as soon as the 2013 season concluded in early November. Improvements included replacements of the east and west wings, a new soffit for the main sloped roof and the new 20-ounce copper standing seam roof. “Using copper helped the new roof blend in with the original framework,” Schaack says. “Especially as it ages, it will look great, like it’s been there all along.”

Design changes to the updated roof, as well as a watertight standing seam installation, will help prevent future leaks. The roof area between the existing Cor-Ten superstructure was framed with purlins, a metal deck was installed on top of the purlins, then a 1 1/2-inch nail base was installed over the deck along with an ice-and-water shield. A giant reverse-slope diverter was built at the intersection, where the sloping roof connected to the stage wall. Valleys were lowered below the roof plane and there was a slight change in pitch that was overcome by rounding the insulation/plywood over the pitch change.

McElroy Metal’s job-site production equipment simplified the process of installation and made the job site safer. The rollformer was hoisted to the eaves on a scissor lift where panels were conveniently run onto the roof. Not only did this method eliminate the need for an expensive crane to get panels on the roof, it was safer as some of the panels were up to 110 feet long. Because of the unique shape of the roof, panels were cut to fit on the roof.

“We specialize in the unique and difficult,” Byrne says. “This is the kind of job we like. We generally have about 20 to 30 projects under contract at any one time, but this one required a lot of personal attention from our upper management, myself included. We had as many as 30 crew members on-site, working 10-hour days and some weekends when necessary.”

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Sidebar: Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston

Owner: City of Houston
Architect: English + Associated Architects Inc., Houston[1]
General contractors: HC Co. Southwest LL[2]C, Houston, and Pin Oak Interests LLC, Houston[3]
Consultant: Price Consulting, Houston[4]
Installer: Byrne Metals[5], Humble, Texas
Metal roof panels: McElroy Metal,[6] Bossier City, La.

 

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/copper-roof-recreation/

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