Sika Restores Old Ford Factory

By Sika.  

Landmark building in Los Angeles is given a new life with highly sustainable roof restoration that makes the early 20th century building look like it was built yesterday. 

The Old Ford Factory is an iconic building in Los Angeles, it is a landmark building, designated as a historical structure and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally completed in 1914 to manufacture Model T automobiles, the poured concrete and block building is one of the first plants to be built in the western United States. The restoration and redevelopment of the site is a benchmark for adaptive reuse in L.A.; work done to preserve the integrity of the building must also maintain the character of its early 20th century architecture. 

The project 

The design and construction team will employ highly sustainable strategies and seek LEED® certification. While preserving the authentic character of its early 20th century architecture, the former Ford Motor Company facility is ideal for today’s creative and knowledge-sharing companies. The building is equipped with state-of-the-art systems, expansive windows on each floor that maximize access to daylight and floor plates up to 88,000 contiguous square feet that allow for an open landscape where connection and collaboration flourish. 

Project challenges 

The roof refurbishment, in particular the parapet waterproofing, has been one of the main challenges for the designers, considering the waterproofing solution had to be applied on multiple different substrates, without sealant terminated details for an aesthetic appearance of this historic landmark of the “Arts District” in Los Angeles. The avoidance of sealant terminated details was also an important criterion to reduce maintenance requirements for the building owner. 

Due to the complex geometry of most details and the adhesion and compatibility of the waterproofing membrane to all different substrates, the designer was searching for a flexible waterproofing solution that can be applied on various substrates without the requirement for sealant terminated details. In order to meet the same warranty conditions of the newly installed roof, a 20 years material and labor warranty was requested from the design team and the building owner. Eventually a liquid applied membrane system was evaluated from the design team to be the most suitable solution for this project. 

Project solutions 

Sikalastic®-641 Lo-VOC was chosen from the designer since it met all project specific requirements. 

Sikalastic®-641 Lo-VOC is a single component, moisture-triggered aliphatic polyurethane used in conjunction with a random fiberglass reinforcing scrim called Sika® Reemat Premium. With appropriate primers for various substrates, these products make up the Sikalastic RoofPro membrane system that meets the strict VOC air quality standards for California while providing a fully reinforced 70 mil DFT membrane system. Sikalastic RoofPro is fully adhered to the properly prepared and primed substrate and perfectly reflects all architectural details especially when maintaining historical significance of a building or structure. 

With over 30 years of proven in-field service across the globe, Sikalastic® has solved complex detail and maintained architectural detail on many historic preservation projects. 

In addition to the work on the parapets the Sikalastic® RoofPro system was ideally suited for reworking some of the flashings penetrating the area of existing BUR roof that was not replaced. Stone roofing having worked with both PMMA resins and Sikalastic®-641 Lo VOC chose to use Sikalastic®-641 Lo VOC for this application due to its very user-friendly characteristics. 

Learn more about Sika in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit usa.sika.com. 

Original article source: Sika