The Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes Foundation is a 501(c) (3) charity established to sustain Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, which supply residential care programs serving abused and neglected children. When the new office building was designed to house the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes Foundation and the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, key considerations included durability, a robust warranty, the ability to withstand the high wind loads in the area, and aesthetics that would ensure the structure fit in with the rural countryside.
The building is used by the foundation and youth homes for administrative activities, including fundraising and scholarship awards. The association also uses it for administrative activities, including the design of public safety programs, and training for law enforcement. In times of emergency, the building may also be used by the association as a statewide command center for Georgia sheriffs.
Designed by architect Precision Planning Inc. (PPI) in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the building’s most striking architectural feature is its massive, bronze-colored standing seam metal roof. PPI specified PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Galvalume panels from Petersen for the project, and the roof system was installed by Infinity Metal Systems of Forest Park, Georgia. When the bid from Infinity Metal Systems was accepted, the contractor, architect and manufacturer all knew they would have familiar faces to work with, according to Dave Landis, technical manager Southeast for Petersen. “We have a 20-year relationship with the architecture firm, Precision Planning, and the same with Infinity Metal Systems,” he notes.
Installing the Roof
The project was right up his company’s alley, says Ken Murray, owner and president of Infinity Metal Systems. The commercial roofing contractor specializes in metal roofing and composite panels. “We’re a metal roofing company by trade, and we also have an awning shop and we do canopies and metal awnings,” he says. “We do a lot of projects like this one.”
The vast majority of the roof area had steel decking, with some tongue and groove decking on the porch side, walkways and street side elevations. The first steps of the roofing work involved installing the insulation, which was mechanically attached to the metal deck. “There was no insulation on the tongue and groove areas, as they were all overhangs,” Murray says. “We screwed the insulation down and used the self-adhering underlayment to dry it in.”
The roof is comprised of 28,000 square feet of 24-gauge, 16-inch-wide-wide PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus Galvalume steel panels. The color is Aged Bronze in Fluoropon from Sherwin Williams. The panels were rolled on site, installed using a clip system, and mechanically seamed.
The roof system was designed to meet and exceed the wind loads in the area. “The clips are installed 30 inches on center in the field of the roof, and 18 inches on center in all corners and edges of the roof,” notes Landis. “The spacing was determined by GA Professional Engineer.”
Infinity Metal Systems also fabricated and installed gutters and downspouts. Decorative accents on the roof included cupolas and dormers, but they were all pretty straightforward to install, according to Murray. “They just involved standard flashings,” he says.
Overcoming Challenges
As the panels went on, a problem arose. “We had some issues where the tongue and groove met the steel deck,” Murray explains. “There was some unevenness there that made it harder to put the panels on as far as aesthetics.”
“Making the panels conform to an uneven decking where the decking transitioned from steel deck to the tongue and groove deck was a challenge,” Landis says, “That became an issue that the installing contractor had to overcome.”
The architect, manufacturer’s rep and roofing contractor put their heads together and found a solution. “We installed spacers underneath the clips to take the rise out,” Murray says. “That was really the only issue out there. Everything else came together perfectly.”
Close communication between the members of the construction team kept the project on track and ensured a successful result. “We stayed on top of any potential issues,” Murray says. “Dave Landis was out here periodically to inspect the work and was very helpful. We’ve been with Petersen for maybe 20 years — it’s a good product with good people.”
“We probably met four or five times at the jobsite, as this was a high-visibility job,” Landis says. “Everyone on the construction team wanted this building to look perfect from the highway.”
Landis and Murray agree that great teamwork is essential on new construction projects. “Our strengths include the ability to work with the architect, the general contractor and especially the installing roofing contractor to achieve best results given the challenges these days of building structural framing not being plumb, level nor in-plane,” notes Landis.
Ensuring quality craftsmanship is second nature to the experienced crews at Infinity Metal Systems. “It boils down to management,” Murray says. “We manage our jobs well. We have experienced superintendents to oversee the jobs and experienced foremen to run the guys. We’ve just been doing it a long time, and we know what we’re doing.”
The results speak for themselves, and feedback on the roof has been overwhelmingly positive. “The job has a 20-year Weathertightness Warranty,” says Landis. “The owner and architect are very happy with the completed metal roof system, and it fits the rural look of the building location.”
TEAM
Architect: Precision Planning Inc., Lawrenceville, Georgia, ppi.us
Roofing Contractor: Infinity Metal Systems, Forest Park, Georgia, infinitymetalsystems.com
MATERIALS
Metal Panels: 24-gauge PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus Galvalume steel panels in Aged Bronze, Petersen, pac-clad.com
Underlayment: Carlisle WIP 300, Carlisle WIP Products, carlislewipproducts.com
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