Commercial buildings run the gambit from hospitals, hotels, shopping malls and everything in-between—even prisons! In 2018, Nations Roof® was asked to bid and subsequently won a reroofing project for the Santa Fe County Adult Correctional Facility, a high-security prison in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For many commercial roofers, taking on a high-risk job of this nature with stringent security measures and a hard deadline would not be feasible; but for Nations Roof, this was just another day in the life of being the #1 commercial roofing company in the US.
Here’s how that project played out from the unique high-security challenges and intense logistics through to the finished, approved job.
The scope of the project was to reroof 108,300 Sq. Ft. and tear off the existing EPDM roof, saving the ISO foam board insulation for reuse on the new roof.
Removed:
Installed:
Replaced:
In a high-security facility where inmates are looking for reasons to make formal complaints against the prison, maintaining clean air was very important to avoid possible lawsuits. Both the warden and Santa Fe county took the risk of health issues from polluted air very seriously. To ensure the air quality remained at the highest level, Nations Roof® contracted with Acme Environmental to carry out air monitoring throughout the project. Every week the air was sampled and analyzed to confirm it was within the acceptable level. Nations Roof was also required to install 2” thick charcoal filters at all air in-takes throughout the facility to help filter out any odors or contaminants.
In an environment where tools are used as weapons or for digging escape tunnels [yes, think, “Cool Hand Luke”], Nations Roof had to be extremely diligent when working to avoid dropping tools into the open space below. Guards would also conduct random audits of all tools to ensure none were missing.
The prison, shaped like a hexagon, had four pods each with a secured grassy area and in the center was the prison yard which was open to the sky. Nations Roof’s Operations Director drafted a logistics plan allowing for materials to be safely removed and delivered to the facility. Instead of the original proposal to use a single loading area, Nations Roof recommended a crane that would get placed in proximity to the work zone and be able to more efficiently deliver materials over the high-security fence, across the yard, and onto the rooftop. The warden of Santa Fe Adult Correctional Facility agreed to the plan on the condition that a crane operator was always present.
Additional steps taken were:
There were no safety violations or lost time due to injuries throughout the entire project. The following measures were taken to prevent accidents and ensure safety for all those involved.
Not unlike other projects that Nations Roof manages, the Santa Fe County Adult Correctional Facility needed to be finished by a certain date. With a time extension issued to account for the high number of rain and high-wind days, the project was completed by the required deadline, and therefore no liquidated damages were incurred.
Despite tie-ins on at least two of the roofing sides, there were zero leaks on this job. The Nations Roof team were meticulous on how the tie-ins were implemented to avoid water penetration. At the final inspection with a large team of people walking the roof that included a representative from the manufacturer Siplast, the roofing consultant, the Santa Fe County project manager and the prison warden, the completed project received top marks and zero punch list items were recorded, a rarity for a project of this size and specification. Nations Roof® is pleased to announce they will be entering this project for the NRCA Gold Circle Awards for 2020.
Since starting over fifteen years ago, Nations Roof has earned a strong reputation for delivering high-quality workmanship, consistently good value, exceptional customer service, and award-winning safety standards. Nations Roof has been recognized by the National Roofing Contractors Association, receiving the Gold Circle Award for Quality Workmanship and Risk Management in previous years.
Nations Roof welcomes the opportunity to present a bid on your next project and to demonstrate their commitment to the highest standards of quality, safety, and expertise. Call today: 877-324-9854 to schedule a free inspection.
Explore Nations Roof’s diverse project portfolio, featuring services like new installations, replacements, and repairs across various systems, including sound blocking, single ply, TPO, EPDM, PVC, waterproofing, green roofing, and metal standing seam for commercial clients. We’re proud of the work we do for our clients across the nation.
Schedule a free 21-point commercial roof inspection today:
Nations Roof®
851 E I-65 Service Road South,
Suite 300 Mobile, AL 36606
