Copper-clad Stainless Steel Replaces a Tornado-damaged Roof at the St. Louis Airport

INSTALLS SAME AS COPPER

Fabrication and installation of copper-clad stainless steel is virtually identical to that of copper. The material can be cut, formed, soldered, welded, riveted and nailed like solid copper, using standard construction sheet-metal practices. Fully annealed copper-clad stainless steel forms exactly like copper and other soft metals at all standard gauges. It is cut in the same way as steel, using conventional hand and power tools, and is available in coils, rolls or cut-to-length sheets up to 30-inches wide.

Missouri Builders Service began work on Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in spring 2014, starting on the airport’s eastern-most dome and moving west. The existing roof system, which consisted of 20-ounce copper, lumber and batt insulation, was removed down to the concrete deck structure. The contractors installed two layers of 1-inch polyisocyanurate and one layer of 1/2-inch high-density polyiso insulation over a self-adhered waterproofing membrane. The team created a 1-inch air space using 5/4 lumber with a top layer of 3/4-inch plywood for a breathable system. The entire system was covered with a high-temperature ice-and-water shield membrane for a total substrate assembly thickness of 4 1/4 inch. Finally, copper-clad stainless-steel soldered flatlock panels, batten-seam panels, coping and flashings were installed.

“We wanted to achieve a weathertight and warrantable system,” Kinkade adds. “Because of the material’s lower heat displacement, we were able to soft-solder using smaller, cooler irons. Other than that, it was pretty much the same as laying down regular 20-ounce sheet copper.”

REBIRTH OF AN ICON

Today, four new copper domes once again welcome passengers into Terminal 1 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. According to Beckmann, the response from the public and airport officials has been overwhelmingly favorable. A dramatic wide-angle photograph of the roof is now the iconic image of “The Lambert Experience”, an online exhibition of recent transformative projects undertaken at the airport (view it at LambertExperience.com). Thanks to copper-clad stainless steel, the domes at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport should stand for another 50 years—and then some.

PHOTOS: MISSOURI BUILDERS SERVICE INC. AND LAMBERT-ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

TEAM

Roofing contractor: Missouri Builders Service Inc., Jefferson, Mo.
General contractor: Kozeny-Wagner Inc., Arnold, Mo.

ROOF MATERIALS

Copper-clad stainless-steel soldered flatlock panels, batten-seam panels, coping and flashings: CopperPlus from Heyco Metals
Polyisocyanurate insulation: Hunter Panels (1 inch) and Georgia-Pacific (1/2 inch)
Self-adhered waterproofing membrane and high-temperature ice-and-water shield membrane: Carlisle WIP Products