Western Specialty Contractors’ Peoria Branch recently replaced the roof on the Olin Hall at Bradley University in Peoria, IL.
The EPDM roof system on the 17,672 sq ft building was completely failing, as the insulation below was pushing up through the roof membrane and standing water was visible on several areas of the roof.
Bradley University hired Western in May 2024 to remove the building’s failing EPDM roof system, which had been punctured by tools and screws left on the roof during equipment maintenance, and replace it with a vapor barrier, tapered insulation, and a Carlisle fleeceback TPO roof for better durability and puncture resistance. The TPO membrane manufacturer’s warranty includes 20 hours per year for accidental puncture repair.
“This premium roof system was chosen to give it a better chance of standing up to the large volume of maintenance workers and HVAC subcontractors who need to frequently visit this roof and maintain the equipment,” said Assistant Branch Manager Jared Osterman.
The TPO roof was selected for its additional benefits:
- White, highly reflective, and TPO, a TPO roof reduces heat absorption and lowers cooling costs. The added insulation can further improve the building’s thermal performance.
- It is ideal for aging roofs with widespread leaks that are difficult to repair individually.
- It can be installed over a wide range of temperatures, is resistant to UV rays, chemicals, and weather, and accommodates building movement.
Western’s crews were challenged by the fact that most of the roof was located below an extensive roof HVAC system in the middle of several penetrations.
“We had to overcome extreme challenges of roofing, as crews were on their hands and knees with carts on rollers to reach many of the roof areas. There was also an extremely high number of flashings and penetrations on the roof that needed to be addressed. Some of the flashings on the pipes were so hard to reach that one of our roofers had to crawl over the pipe upside down to reach between the pipe and the wall. We could not reach one area due to many large pipes being too close together, so we switched the roof to a coating and transitioned back to TPO,” said Osterman. “We had an HVAC subcontractor taking care of removing insulation and reinstalling some pipes as needed to flash per the 20-year warranty.”
The building’s new roof system required a tapered insulation system to help push water off the roof into the drains. With no architect on the job and the existing drain locations not aligning with the plans, Western’s crews resolved the issue by measuring the entire roof from center drain to center drain to determine the new tapered system.
Because the roof has a concrete deck, the vapor barrier was primed and installed, then the tapered insulation and fleeceback TPO were foam-attached.
Western completed the challenging project within budget by March 2025.
Have a project you need completed? Contact the Peoria branch today
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit https://westernspecialtycontractors.com.