The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla., is a beachfront property with nearly 900 guest rooms, 100 guest suites, a 200,000-square-foot convention center, seven restaurants, a full-service spa, an upscale, 50,000-square-foot retail complex, as well as golf and tennis amenities. For six consecutive years, the resort has been a AAA Four Diamond Award winner.

As a LEED-registered property and a member of the Florida Green Lodging Program, the Westin Diplomat is also green. In fact, during the past year, the resort has launched several initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and safeguard the local environment. Current projects include adding programmable HVAC sensors, installing low-flow showerheads, using a paperless check-in/check-out system, and instituting in-room recycling.

“We see a growing trend of travelers that are highly eco-conscious, and we want to make sure that we are meeting their needs,” said Sharon Zamojski, Westin’s in-house architect and capital projects manager. “Equally important, we have a corporate philosophy of instituting green practices throughout the organization to minimize our impact on the environment.”

While less visible than some of the more innovative environmental initiatives being instituted on the property, approximately 150,000 square feet of new roof is being installed over the convention center and parts of the hotel. The roof replacement project involves removing the existing modified bitumen system from the concrete deck and installing a new system with a base of tapered insulation.

“We originally planned to mechanically fasten the new roof system to the concrete deck,” said Shirad Ali, vice president of Advanced Roofing Inc., of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. “However, after reviewing the wind uplift requirements for the building, which is located directly on the shore of Florida’s east coast and has direct exposure to continuous high winds, we reconsidered the method of application and recommended a slow-rise foam for adhering the insulation to the deck rather than mechanical attachment. By using the adhesive, we were able to enhance wind-uplift resistance and eliminate the noise associated with mechanical fastening.”

The Westin Diplomat has a high occupancy rate and a very busy convention center, so the noise could have become an inconvenience for visitors to the property as well as hotel guests.

Knowing that the Westin is interested in sustainable products, Advanced Roofing recommended OMG’s OlyBond500 Green insulation adhesive for the project. In addition to solving the potential noise problems associated with mechanical fastening through concrete and increasing the wind-uplift ratings on the project, using an adhesive allows Advanced Roofing to work even while the hotel and convention spaces below are occupied.

Since this was such a high-profile project and Advanced Roofing’s first installation using OlyBond500 Green, the company’s technical staff first conducted a series of pull tests in the perimeters, corners and field areas of the various roofs to be recovered in order to evaluate its performance and make sure it was right for the application.

“We were very comfortable with its performance during testing, and it easily achieved the design pressures of over 120 psf that we required,” said Ali. “Not only did we use OlyBond500 Green to adhere the insulation directly to the concrete deck, but we also used it between multiple layers of insulation.”

“When Advanced Roofing first presented us with this option, we were excited about the prospect of having another green product as part of the roofing solution,” said Zamojski. “But to make sure it was a good fit, we had our roof consultant review the technical aspects of the product as well. That obviously worked out well for everyone.”

OlyBond500 Green is Factory Mutual, Miami-Dade and Florida Building Code approved, has low VOCs and is made with a plant-based formula that uses renewable resources. It is easy to use, fast and efficient on the roof and does not have any fumes or noxious odors.

Advanced Roofing is one of the largest roofing contractors in South Florida, with three offices and nearly 400 employees. For the Westin project, Advanced Roofing used two crews of nearly 20 roofers. During the course of the project, more than 5,000 gallons of the green adhesive will be installed. Advanced Roofing has also provided the Westin with additional green initiative proposals for photovoltaic laminates and a solar thermal system.

“We are very happy with the product’s performance and ease-of-installation,” said Jessica Kornahrens, project manager for Advanced Roofing. “OMG has provided us with strong support and training throughout the process, and most importantly, our client is happy with the project and with having another sustainable product on their property.”

For more information, visit www.olyfast.com.