Canton, Mass. — Sika Sarnafil Inc., a manufacturer of thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing systems announced the winner of its 2007 Sika Sarnafil Sustainable Roofing Performance Award: The University of Iowa, a major national research university located in Iowa City Iowa, recognized for its commitment to sustainability, demonstrated by its decision to recycle its old roof on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Arena’s original Sarnafil roof was installed in 1981, and because of its advancing age, the University had been planning to gradually phase in a new roofing system. That plan changed on April 13, 2006 when an unusually severe storm damaged parts of the roof. The University evaluated several roofing options but ultimately chose to re-roof with Sarnafil membrane for several reasons, including that the new membrane could be effectively welded to the old membrane allowing for project phasing and that the old roofing membrane could be recycled.

The ability to recycle is an important factor in determining the sustainability of a building material. Recycling reduces the environmental impacts of producing new materials at the beginning of the lifecycle and the burden on landfills at the end.

Vinyl recycling is well established with millions of pounds recycled every year. The sustainability movement along with increasing landfill restrictions and disposal fees is escalating the demand to recycle roofs at the end of their useful life.

In the case of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, recycling the old roof was the most sustainable solution. The material was diverted from the landfill back to Sika Sarnafil to be processed into new roofing products. “I think this will be something that owners will want to be a part of,” said Jeff Hayes, engineer at the University of Iowa. “It’s a win/win situation for everyone.”

Team effort key to high quality solution
Recycling the old roofing system requires a team effort. The partnership of the University of Iowa, Sika Sarnafil, Benchmark Inc, the roofing consultant, and CEI Roofing Texas, the roofing contractor, proved to be a winning team. From the start, the team worked closely together to determine the best way to handle the recycling logistics of the project. The result was a successful recycling project and the delivery of a high quality roofing system for the University of Iowa.

For further ED+C coverage of this product, visit “Roofing System on Carver-Hawkeye Arena Wins Big — Twice,” at www.edcmag.com/CDA/Archives/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000096519. For more information, visit www.sikacorp.com.