Pulaski Technical College

The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute at Pulaski Technical College in Little Rock, Arkansas, recently opened a brand new facility that can accommodate 600 students who will be offered the chance to study baking and pastry, culinary arts, hospitality management, and wine and spirits. The Institute is the only American Culinary Federation Education Foundation accredited school in Arkansas, and is also accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration, making it one of the few colleges in the country with dual accreditation.

Selecting the right roofing system for this energy-efficient building required a careful look at the “ingredients” of the roof. “We originally specified a modified bitumen single ply roof,” said Mike Callahan, AIA, project manager at TAGGART Architects of North Little Rock, Arkansas. “But when the project was put out to bid we received a request from the roofing subcontractor to substitute the modified bitumen roof with Sika Sarnafil’s Sikaplan PVC roof. This was a great roof for this building, and the white roof’s high solar reflective index was a big contributor to this building being LEED certified. Installing this superior Sika Sarnafil roof at a comparable price to a modified bitumen roof was a win-win situation for both the owner and the contractor.” “The entire team decided the Sika Sarnafil roof was the best application for this project,” added Jose Aldebot, project manager at Kinco Constructors, LLC of Little Rock, the general contractor for the building. “It offers important features such as low maintenance, reflectivity, and durability.” “Another advantage of the Sikaplan roof was that it would be easier to install,” remarked Brian Kirk, a co-owner along with Keith Williams of Freedom Roofing Solutions, Inc. of Vilonia, Arkansas.

Freedom Roofing faced many challenges when installing the new roof system, which consisted of a metal deck, fully tapered polyisocyanurate insulation with an R-30 value, ¼ inch gypsum board, and the mechanically attached membrane. “The exterior of some parts of the building was made up of aluminum composite material (ACM) panels, so we had to coordinate with the ACM contractors to install the two systems together,” Kirk explained. “We shared flashing details for each product and then worked with each manufacturer’s technical department.” Access to the building was also tricky. “The building was close to existing campus buildings and Interstate 30,” Kirk said. “This was also a multi-story building so building access was tight. We had to basically stage the uploading and downloading of materials around the other contractors. Our job superintendent Oscar Jimenez deserves a lot of credit for ensuring this installation went smoothly.”

Both Callahan and Aldebot stated that the numerous penetrations through the roof membrane also posed a challenge. “Not only did we have the penetrations for all the mechanical equipment, but also for the refrigeration equipment, the kitchen hoods, the exhaust fans, and all the conduit piping,” Callahan explained. “The Sikaplan membrane worked extremely well around these penetrations. It also made some flashing details very simple to install. It worked out great.

This project had some of the nicest looking flashing details I’ve ever seen.” Sika Sarnafil’s technical support personnel were very helpful with all the details. “Whenever we had to submit details to them they were very quick to come up with a solution and send it back to us,” Kirk stated. Aldebot added, “The Sika employees were very helpful with any questions that were raised before, during and after construction.” Freedom Roofing was also praised for the quality of their work. “Freedom Roofing did an excellent job,” Callahan said. Aldebot remarked, “Freedom Roofing is one of our favorite roofing contractors and they performed as expected. They are committed to meeting our schedule and produce excellent quality.”

Despite being tested by some severe Arkansas summertime thunderstorms, the roof on the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute is “performing extremely well,” according to Callahan. “We have had no leaks or problems.” “Pulaski Tech is very pleased with the roof,” said Kirk. “It is functioning well and looks good. I believe Sika Sarnafil roofing products have stood the test of time, and have proven over the years that it is a good product. I have done some work on some Sika Sarnafil roofs that are more than 30 years old, and the roof membrane is still performing well and easy to work with even after that length of time. That’s what’s sold me on Sika Sarnafil roofing systems.” Aldebot simply stated, ”I would definitely recommend a Sika Sarnafil roof again because it is my favorite roof.”