Commercial Architecture June 2017 - 56

PROJECT

exteriors
A major issue to be resolved before the new zinc roof could be installed was getting
a level and true substrate. Over the years since it was built, the church structure had
settled and shifted considerably.

plan. The final stage of the extensive renovation-replacement of the
roof-became somewhat of a modern marvel in Vancouver. The entire building was completely enclosed in a massive scaffold with a
giant tarpaulin covering the structure to protect the church from the
weather as the existing roof was removed. The scaffolding reached
100 ft. high in order to allow use of a traveling gantry crane for moving materials to all areas of the roof.
Approximately 12,000 sq. ft. of prePATINA blue-gray panels
from Rheinzink, Woburn, MA, was installed using a traditional batten seam profile. Installation of the panels was done by TEK Roofing, Vancouver. "I'm an old-school guy and everything we do is traditional," said TEK president Terry Kellogg. "The Rheinzink panels
are literally all hand formed. No machines were involved other than
our breaks. The traditional method is just more exact in terms of the
details because you are fabricating every single piece."
The TEK crew ranged from 10 to 20 individuals, depending on
the work being done. Kellogg worked alongside his crew for much of
the job. "I spent nearly two months on the tools working with the
boys," Kellogg said. "It was quite enjoyable." TEK Roofing specializes in the fabrication and installation of natural metals.
The general contractor on the project was Scott Construction
Group, Burnaby, British Columbia. The Rheinzink distributor was
Alesther Metals in Burnaby.
Removal of the existing roof required workers to be in full
HazMat gear because the existing artificial-slate material was bonded
with asbestos. The felt layers contained asbestos as well, and plywood
layers underneath were contaminated by lead dust.
SUBSTRATE ISSUES

A major issue that had to be resolved before the new zinc roof could
be installed was getting a level and true substrate. Over the many
years since it was originally built, the structure had settled and shifted considerably. Construction methods more than a century ago
were obviously not nearly as exact as today. "We were surprised at
how bad the structure was when we opened the building up," said
Ian Birtwell, a parishioner and volunteer project manager who functioned as liaison with the church. "The connections to walls were
very poor-basically gravity connections. That's the way they built in
those days. And the roof ridgeline dipped 6 in. We used a laser system to create a computerized 3D model that revealed the high spots
and low spots so that we could get a totally flat roof."
Installer Terry Kellogg was quick to give credit to another company that was involved in leveling the structure. "PBEM, based out of
Vancouver, did a lot of the framing working under the supervision of
our superintendent. PBEM was very instrumental in getting us a level roof. It was a tough, tough job. They added a huge amount of
structural steel. We couldn't have done it without them," he said.
Architectural design for the project was provided by Proscenium
Architecture & Interiors, Vancouver. Renovation of the historic
building was deemed a Heritage project and had to meet certain
guidelines for approval. "Good Heritage practice requires that the
renovation be respectful of original materials," according to Proscenium principal Hugh Cochlin. "Slate was initially suggested by sev56

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

JUNE 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture June 2017