For years, the staff and parishioners of the First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena had to be mindful of the weather. If rain was in the forecast, certain sections of the sanctuary had to be roped off because the seats, and anyone sitting in them, would get soaked.
A stubborn leak in the sanctuary that no one seemed to be able to fix plagued the church for almost 10 years. “Water would just pour down like a shower during the service,” explained Scott Anderson, the church’s executive pastor.
Anderson had heard that Garland was the “guru of water intrusion protection.” So, he called Garland’s local representative, Sean Magee, to see what he could do about the leak in the sanctuary. Magee identified the problem and worked with contractors to repair the leak.
Ironically, just three weeks later, an uncharacteristically strong Santa Ana windstorm ripped the majority of the metal roof off the church, leaving crumpled and twisted metal panels strewn all over the church’s Pasadena campus. The church’s original roof, which was about 30 years old, likely had not been designed to resist the pressure exerted by the wind and consequently had experienced fastener pullout prior to the storm.
After the windstorm passed and the damaged metal panels were removed, Anderson reached out to Garland for help again. Magee surveyed the roof and provided recommendations for a roof replacement.
Aware of the problems the church experienced with its previous roof and of the high winds possible in the region, Magee recommended Garland’s R-Mer® Span structural standing seam roof system.
In addition to finding a solution with the necessary strength and durability, Magee was also challenged with finding a metal system that preserved the aesthetic value of the church, which sits against the beautiful backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The 55,000-square-foot, eight-sided roof was clad with 24-gauge, 18-inch wide steel R-Mer Span panels, which achieves some of the industry’s highest wind uplift ratings, guaranteeing protection against the fierce Santa Ana winds.
“Sean ensured that we were getting the right product and that it was being engineered correctly for our roof. Our roof posed a lot of unique challenges, but the way they were able to handle those challenges by bringing in the right people to implement intelligent solutions was great,” Anderson said.
The copper penny-colored steel panels, varying in length from 1 foot to 106 feet, were roll formed on site to provide continuous panels from ridge to eave, ensuring watertight integrity.
Because the church’s wooden deck was not true to plane, 16-gauge hat channels were used in various locations throughout the roof to ensure the roof panels lay evenly. The deck also dictated the roof design with panels sloping upward to the penthouse-style wall, which extended 40 feet from the roof deck.
The church’s steep 7:12 slope contributed to a challenging installation process, which was controlled by a meticulous safety plan and diligent supervision.
“Now, I have confidence in my roof. I also have confidence in Garland and their ability to do what they say they’re going to do in the time they say they’re going to do it,” Anderson explained.
Learn more about this exciting project!