Case Study – When A Roof is More Than a Roof

Hutchinson Design Group, Barrington, Illinois, United States of America

¹ hutch@hutchinsondesigngroup.com

Abstract

The repurposing of existing buildings is becoming more prevalent. But changing a buildings use is not without concern. A European Company purchased an existing warehouse located north of Chicago, Illinois, USA as the space filled their needs for the layout of their manufacturing equipment. Producing medical grade synthetic mesh requires interior temperatures of 90°F (32.2C) with a relative humidity of 90%. The roof of the facility was low-sloped trapezoidal standing seam metal roof system that was watertight in all types of precipitation: Rain, snow, ice. The insulation, below the roof panels and above the steel purlins, was vinyl face fiberglass batt laid over the structural steel bar joist and pinned by the metal roof panels. Shortly after manufacturing commenced, water build-up in the batt insulation during winter started and was so severe that the vinyl facing would belly downward and split the lap seams, which would release the water, soiling the 2m wide rolls of mesh that then did not meet medical standards and had to be discarded. This case study will review the issues that arose out of repurposing a warehouse to a manufacturing facility and what the solution to correct moisture related issues. Hutchinson Design Group, Ltd. of Barrington, Illinois, was retained to investigate the conditions, determine the causes and develop a corrective solution.