One of the largest and seemingly most important buildings at the El Paso Zoo is one that very few, if any, of the zoo’s more than 350,000 yearly visitors have ever seen. It’s where all the behind-the-scenes magic happens. The maintenance facility houses the personnel and equipment needed to keep the zoo up and running. Rudy Castaneda, facilities superintendent, explains, “We do everything that entails keeping the zoo operational, except actual interface with the animals. We do grounds, mechanical, HVAC, lighting, aquatics, fences, doors, roofing and everything in between.”
The Challenge
The building’s existing modified bitumen roof was about 15 years old and its wooden deck was beginning to rot. Additionally, the extreme heat and dry conditions in El Paso appeared to be drying out the roof membrane. Based on the condition of the roof, Castaneda assumed the entire roof would need to be replaced. The city’s engineering department put Castaneda in contact with local Garland representative, Eric Salas, who evaluated the roof.
The Solution
As a part of the roof inspection, Salas took various core cuts of the roof that indicated a large majority of the insulation was dry. Therefore, Salas determined the roof was a good candidate for restoration. “One of my biggest moral dilemmas is throwing away a customer’s money. This roof was a prime candidate for restoration, a solution that saved them about $5 a square foot compared to a complete tear off and reroof,” explained Salas.
Salas recommended the deteriorated section of the deck be replaced along with all flashings and details. Once that was completed, the roof was coated with Garland’s Energizer® LO low odor, liquid waterproofing membrane. Garland’s high-performance polyurea coating, White-Star™, was then applied to the roof to provide additional UV and waterproofing protection. The restoration system is designed to provide an additional 10 years of service life.
The zoo procured the project through AZA Smart Source, a national purchasing cooperative designed and managed exclusively for the benefit of AZA member zoos and aquariums. As a roofing solutions supplier, Garland/DBS, Inc., a jointly-owned subsidiary of The Garland Company, Inc. and Design-Build Solutions, Inc. has a contract with AZA Smart Source to provide roofing supplies and related products and services to participating agencies. Garland/DBS, Inc. coordinated with its sub-contractor, Pro-Tech Roofing Systems, Inc., to provide turnkey, single-source project delivery.
“This is the first project I’ve done with Eric and I am very impressed with him and Garland in general. I’m really happy with the route we chose to take. It’s been a win-win for all of us,” Castaneda said.
If you’re curious about the products used in this stellar project, contact your local Garland representative to learn more!