Unique Use for Polymer Roofing at Valparaiso University

LENEXA, KAN. – Back to school time at Valparaiso University in Indiana this year means sophomores flocking to their new homes at Beacon Hall. The inside of the new four-story suite-style residence facility boasts a 24-hour computer lab, prayer room, floor lounges and laundry facilities. On the outside, it’s what you don’t see that’s impressive.

Hidden behind roof “screens” covered with Single-Width Slate polymer roof tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes® are HVAC systems. What appears to be a peak at the top is not actually the top of the roof — it’s where the roof/screen stops so that the HVAC equipment can rest on a flat membrane roof and be open to the sky above, but hidden from view.

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“The site location was very tight so we needed to have the HVAC equipment on the roof,” says Fred Plant, executive director of campus planning & projects and environmental sustainability at Valparaiso (Valpo) University. “The building design is a form of a Collegiate Gothic so we wanted to have a slate tile roof. However real slate is too heavy for this type of application.

“FGM Architects was familiar with the imitation slate roof from DaVinci and made the recommendation. We felt that the composite slate properly simulated natural slate, had a good warranty and was budget friendly.”

Installed by Midland Engineering Company, it’s the first time the slate gray DaVinci sustainable roofing product has been used on the Valpo campus, but it may not be the last.

“If we have an appropriate application we would certainly consider using the DaVinci composite roofing again on campus,” says Plant. “The finished look of the product on Beacon Hall is very appealing … and it does exactly what the design intended it to do — it hides the HVAC systems from site.”

DaVinci Roofscapes polymer shake and slate roofing tiles have also been successfully incorporated into many other college and university campuses across the country. At the State University of New York (SUNY) campus mansard roof treatments on the Mohawk and Smith residence halls used DaVinci tiles several years ago. At Notre Dame, the Sara Bea Learning Center has DaVinci roofing overhead, as do three separate structures at Washburn University.

Additional DaVinci roofing projects can be found at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, the University of Georgia, Mount St. Mary College, Princeton College, Colorado State University and Southeast Missouri State University. The College of New Jersey and Florida State University also boast impact- and fire-resistant DaVinci roofing on several of their buildings.

The experienced team members at DaVinci Roofscapes develop and manufacture industry-leading polymer slate and shake roofing systems with an authentic look and superior performance. DaVinci leads the industry in the greatest selection of colors, tile thickness and tile width variety. The company’s reliable products have a limited lifetime warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. All DaVinci high-performing roofing products are proudly made in America where the company is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Roofing Contractors, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.