2016
Schaumburg, Illinois

Sarnafil Roof Ensures High Performance, Stunning Aesthetics


The 150,000-square-foot roof on the Zurich North America Headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, presented one of the toughest roofing challenges that Sullivan Roofing, also of Schaumburg, had ever encountered. The complex roof required a conventional, fully adhered PVC membrane, inverted waterproofing assemblies with pavers and green roof modules – all on multiple levels.

Fortunately, one roofing system could handle all of these configurations: the Sarnafil PVC roofing and waterproofing system.

Owner
SFG Schaumburg 1, LLC

Roofing Contractor
Sullivan Roofing, Inc.
Schaumburg, Illinois

Roof Consultant
RoofTech Consulting, Inc.
Highland, Illinois

Architect
Goettsch Partners, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Design Build Contractor
Clayco, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Roofing System
Adhered EnergySmart Roof using
80 mil G 410 membrane in White and
60 mil G 410 membrane in Light Gray

Project Size
150,000 square feet

Zurich Insurance Headquarters
Zurich Insurance Roof
“Had to be on Our Game'

The complexity of the installation – which demanded a fast-paced schedule – required Sullivan Roofing to creatively and collaboratively problem solve, often making daily adjustments to overcome unique challenges.“At one point, we had three different roofing crews working on different locations of the building – one doing the inverted waterproofing assemblies, one doing the conventional roofing and one doing the pavers,” Whetham explained. “We had to meet the general contractor’s schedule that was changing on a daily basis. There were so many things happening that we constantly had to be on our game and ready to roll.”

Adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain and some strong windstorms – one with 70-mph gusts that picked up and flipped over a crew member – disrupted the process as well.

“Sometimes bad weather would materialize just as the crew was getting ready to start work,” Saxton said. “Fortunately, Sullivan Roofing did a very good job of protecting materials during the storms.”

Zurich Insurance Green Roof
Sika Reps Part of the Team

“Sika provided tremendous support throughout the project, assisting us with complex detail and installation questions on anything from prefabricated custom pipe boots to flash railings to unique expansion joint details,” Whetham said.

“They helped us provide the best quality workmanship, and the combined team effort in problem solving was impressive.”

Zurich Insurance Aerial
More People Should Consider Having Roofs Like This

Today, the roof is performing as designed despite being tested by all sorts of weather. “At this point, (the roof) is basically maintenance-free,” according to David Yanda, general manager at Zurich North America.

Yanda went on to say that the 15 acres of green roof are very popular, and employees are encouraged to sit, have lunch and relax near the green areas.

“People love it!” Yanda said. “It adds ambiance to the building, uses little water, reduces our carbon footprint and is worry-free. More people should consider having roofs like this.”

Interested in How a Green Roof Can be a Solution for your Next Roof Project? Get More Information: