Western Specialty Contractors – Peoria, IL Branch was part of the team that painstakingly transformed a seven-story historic building in downtown Peoria, IL, into OSF HealthCare’s new Ministry Headquarters.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, Peoria, IL. OSF employs more than 24,000 Mission Partners in 147 locations, including 15 hospitals – ten acute care, five critical access – with 2,097 licensed beds and two nursing colleges throughout Illinois and Michigan.
OSF HealthCare’s new Ministry Headquarters building, located at the corner of Adams and Fulton Streets, was originally constructed in 1904 for the Schipper & Block department store, which later became Block & Kuhl. Most recently owned by Caterpillar, the building, the Peoria Professional Building, and an adjacent parking lot were donated to OSF HealthCare in January 2018. The building had been slated for demolition and was in various stages of disrepair.
The building’s $150 million, four-year restoration project, with two years occurring during the global pandemic, was completed in January 2021 and consolidated 500 OSF HealthCare employees sharing 275,000 square feet of historically restored space.
The general project contractor CORE Construction hired Western’s Peoria branch to replace the building’s existing roof with a vegetative roof system and IPE wood patio pavers, as project designer Dewberry Architects specified.
The general project contractor CORE Construction hired Western’s Peoria branch to replace the building’s existing roof with a vegetative roof system and IPE wood patio pavers, as project designer Dewberry Architects specified.
Western started the project by removing the existing modified roof and flashings down to the deck. During the roof’s removal, it was discovered that the cementitious topping on the existing terra cotta roof was crumbling and unusable. Western was instructed to remove all the topping on the 13,000-square-foot main roof and temp it to prevent water intrusion into the interior finishings nearing completion on the seven floors below.
Western crews then installed a vapor barrier of R-30 Polyiso insulation and Carlisle SynTec 115 mil FleeceBACK EPDM membrane, all set in a low-rise adhesive, then fabricated and installed new copings, counterflashing and soffits at the canopies.
Western then installed 3,000 square feet of IPE wood patio pavers on the roof, plus a 4,800-square-foot vegetative roof system supplied by Carlisle, which consisted of trays of Sedums – a perennial plant (commonly known as stonecrops) with succulent green foliage, shallow roots and clusters of star-shaped flowers that bloom from midsummer to fall. The easy-to-grow and hardy foliage is a favorite of pollinators and ideally suited for green roofs.
Green roofing systems have a layer of vegetation and soil planted over various layers of waterproofing. Green roofs not only reduce energy usage and are esthetically pleasing, but they also reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The components that make up a green roofing system include stone ballasts, pavers, trays, trees and soil. The disadvantages of green roofs are that they require drainage material and a waterproof membrane. Vegetation must also be carefully selected so that its roots don’t grow into and damage the protective membranes, which can lead to leaks.
To complete the project, Western installed cold-applied waterproofing on the roof’s elevated sidewalk, a pedestrian deck coating in the roof’s penthouse, and carbon fiber on its interior beams.
Western was able to complete the project on time and within budget.
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.
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