Nara Gsa

Project Profile

Project Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center Waltham, MA Owner U.S General Services Administration Roofing Contractor Silktown Roofing, Inc. South Grafton, MA Solar Electric Manufacturer and Installer Solar Integrated Los Angeles, CA Roofing Systems Solar Integrated’s Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Solar Electric roofing system, using 45 mil, S327 EnergySmart Roof® membrane in white Project Size 144,000 square feet Completed January 2007

Regional Archives Center Trusts Valued Records to Solar Electric Roof with Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof® Membrane As Northeast headquarters for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center in Waltham, MA, houses documents such as Revolutionary War military service records; Federal population censuses for all states, 1790 – 1930; and passenger arrival records for many East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. When its EPDM roof started failing, it was critical to find a new roof that not only would protect the facility and its precious contents against future roof leaks, but would also be energy efficient. Failure of the existing roof system could result in loss of irreplaceable federal documents. The GSA Energy Center of Expertise within the Office of Applied Science and Technology had been looking to demonstrate new offthe-shelf renewable energy technology. They were looking for a facility within the GSA inventory nationally, that met the criteria of 1) need 2) size 3) site (solar availability).

The Murphy Federal Record Center fit all the stated criteria. GSA - New England regional energy coordinator Roman Piaskoski applied for funding through the Energy Center of Expertise within the Office of Applied Sciences and Technology, and began market research. The new roofing system needed to be of the highest durability (given building equipment load and anticipated maintenance foot traffic) and would need to provide the latest in Energy Star (EPA) cool roof technology to maximize system payback through energy savings. “We had considered different types of roofing systems, including TPO, PVC and EPDM, and we wanted an Energy Star ‘cool roof’,” Piaskoski said. “Sean M. Orgel, an Architectural Engineer for GSA / PBS Region 1, and I had worked on a solar roofing project in Boston about eight years ago that used crystalline solar panels, but when we heard of this system that uses flat thin film, flexible, amorphous silicon panels integrated with a Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof we thought ‘Hey, this could be it!’” Manufactured by Los Angeles-based Solar

Integrated, the Integrated BIPV solar roofing system consists of a series of 10 x 40 foot solar electric roof panels – each of which has 12 flexible photovoltaic modules factory laminated to the surface of the Sarnafil G410 carrier membrane. These panels are then hot-air welded to Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof membrane and wired to the building’s electrical system. Tim Kehrli, director of government sales for Solar Integrated, pointed out that Solar Integrated selected the Sarnafil EnergySmart Roof membrane to be part of the BIPV solar roofing system because of its proven performance history, high reflectivity, superior fire ratings, and its heat-welded seams. “We looked at other systems but kept coming back to the fact that Sika Sarnafil is a quality company, has a quality roofing system, and has a quality history,” he explained. A Fast and Flawless Installation

Solar Integrated’s solar electric roofing panels on the Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center in Waltham, MA.

Once the decision was made to go with the BIPV system – making it the largest BIPV installation in the Federal Government – the pressure was on to have the new roof installed as quickly as possible, before the New England weather turned cold. In addition, “we were covering a national archives facility so we couldn’t risk any damage to the contents of the building,” Orgel explained.

was, as usual, invaluable.”

Record-Breaking Results There were two different roofing crews working on the installation – Solar Integrated of Los Angeles and Silktown Roofing, Inc. of South Grafton, MA. Fortunately, the two crews worked very well together, producing work that was “absolutely great,” according to Orgel. “I was skeptical about their plan to install 80 to 100 squares a day, but after a week of watching them I was very impressed. In the end they averaged 100 squares per day.” “Because we were on such an aggressive schedule Solar Integrated had to start the tear-off at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., and then the Silktown crew would start their work at 7:00 a.m.,” explained Jason Woz, general manager at Silktown. “Fortunately the two crews were able to partner up and move forward pretty well….it was an easy marriage. Not to mention that the technical assistance from the Sika Sarnafil people

According to Tim Kehrli, it is calculated that power generated by the BIPV will replace almost 50 percent of the power the building currently draws from the local utility. “Since records show that the building typically uses one million kilowatt hours, this means the roof is conservatively estimated to generate 488,000 kilowatt hours per year,” he said. In addition to saving the GSA about $67,000 per year in electrical costs (and at times generating income on peak demand days when extra power can be sold to the local utility) the BIPV system will also result in substantial greenhouse gas reductions. According to Kehrli, a roof generating 488,000 kilowatts of electrical power every year typically reduces greenhouse gases by 709 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 1,783 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 423,404 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

A Noteworthy Solution All the parties are extremely pleased with the new roof and the opportunity to save energy and help the environment. “This is one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on in my 17 years with GSA,” Piaskoski stated. “This is a great product, and everything went perfectly,” Woz said. “I would definitely recommend the system again.” Orgel summed it up nicely. “I now have a beautiful roof system with solar panels, increased insulation, and a reflective roofing membrane,” he explained. “How can I go wrong?”

To learn more: Sika Sarnafil Inc. 100 Dan Road Canton, MA 02021 Telephone 1-800-451-2504 Telefax 781-828-5365 Internet www.sikacorp.com

Canada Office: Sika Sarnafil, A Business Unit of Sika Canada Inc. 6820 Davand Drive, Unit 2 Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1J5 Telephone 905-670-2222 Telefax 905-670-5278 Internet www.sika.ca

Job# 975/3M/0807

“This installation was an opportunity for all sorts of problems, but we didn’t have a single hitch,” Piaskoski stated. “It was pretty close to a perfect project. A lot of that credit goes to the roofing crews – I found the crews to be very conscientious and professional.”

Orgel adds that the new roof will also improve indoor air quality by protecting against leaks and mold, and also decrease operating costs for heating and cooling equipment, due to the increased insulation and reflectivity of the new roof. Piaskoski stated that in one archive, where humidity is closely monitored to protect the documents stored there, the humidity is “dead on” since the new roof was installed, and the chillers and boilers have stopped their constant cycling on and off that was customary with the old roof.