Insulated metal panels installation saves time and labor for Roland Construction

When the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) bid out the new California Health Care Facility inmate hospital to be built in Stockton, California, it was apparent that scheduling would be paramount its success. The planned peak for manpower during construction would be 1,700 workers on an expansive 144 acre site. This meant that in addition to the timing, logistics and accessibility would be a major challenge.

When 791,000 square feet of the facility’s planned 1.2 million square feet of new building called for a traditional built-up architectural metal roof, Mike Harnack, Sales Manager for Roland Construction in Stockton, started looking into All Weather Insulated Panel’s (AWIP) standing seam roof system in hopes he might save both labor and installation time.

Roland and the successful prime contracting joint venture team of Clark/McCarthy worked with CDCR prior to the bid date to make sure that this “alternate” roof system would be acceptable to the State. Not only was it deemed acceptable, it was considered an upgraded material in the final design-build package submitted for consideration. The specification was subsequently amended to include insulated metal panels for the architectural roofing before sub-contractors submitted bids. When the bids were opened, Roland Construction, along with their supplier, All Weather Insulated Panels (of Vacaville, California) was chosen.

Design work began in January 2012 for the roofing of the 23 buildings. The 4-inch thick SR-2 standing seam insulated roof panel by AWIP was selected with a 22 gage exterior skin coated in Natural Green Kynar paint. With the excellent insulating properties of the insulated metal panel (R-value = 32 for a 4” panel), the darker color could be used and still comply with the project’s LEED Silver Certification.

From January to May and beyond, several mock-ups were completed, including a full scale mock-up of the building on site. Both the AWIP and Roland design teams devoted many hours to this project.

Fifteen workers installed up to 22,950 sf a day

Installation of the first roof panels began in May. Over the course of the next six months, Roland would utilize three separate installation crews, each with their own crane to erect the roof panels. At the peak of production, each five-man crew was capable of installing up to 7,650 sf in a single day. That kind of production would have been impossible with as few people utilizing any other type of roof system.

Following behind the roof paneling crews were several other crews installing the AWIP 2½-inch DM40 wall panels, flashings, and trims to encapsulate the 192 individual “Light Monitors” on the project. These are cupola-like structures located on the building roofs with windows on all sides in order to invite natural light into the buildings.

One of the keys to the success of the installation crews was the use of a vacuum lifter provided by Automatic Panel Lifting System (APLS) of Auburn, California. APLS provides the Wood’s Powr-Grip® brand vacuum lifters for sale and rental. They are designed to be hung from a crane or forklift, and with the proper attachment setup, are capable of raising panels up to 60’ long and weighing approximately 600 lbs each. With the panels being able to be lifted and released in a matter of seconds, production was increased dramatically over traditional sling methods in order to meet the project’s break-neck schedule.

Production was paced with installation

It was also important for the success of the project to minimize the amount of onsite materials as much as possible. This made scheduling a key component not only to construction, but to manufacturing as well. Since there was not enough space to store 1,200 bundles of AWIP roof panels in any one space, production had to be paced with installation, and a choreographed dance of trucks, forklifts, and installation crews was required to be executed in extremely compact areas.

“This being the largest project Roland has ever completed, as well as the demand for over 50 workers on site, many challenges were created,” said Jim Hoagland, owner of Roland Construction. “With all the pre-planning with our supplier, AWIP, and their ‘going the extra mile’ for us, we could not have accomplished this project in such an efficient and timely manner.”

The use of AWIP’s insulated metal roof panels for this project proved to be the decision that made this job feasible. Hoagland stated that the reduction in installation man-hours not only saved schedule time, but more than made up for the additional material cost over a more traditional built-up insulation and metal roof system.   Bill Lowery, President of AWIP states, “We believe that superior customer service is ultimately what differentiates us from other IMP manufacturers.  The sheer scope and aggressive construction schedule on the CHCF project provided AWIP with some unique challenges and the opportunity to support our customer, Roland Construction.”

Project Summary
• 1.2 million sf of building space
• 791,000 sf of insulated roof panels
• Housing for 1,722 patient inmates
• LEED Silver certified
• Cost of construction: $738 million
• Total project cost: $906 million
• 5,500 total construction jobs
• Peak manpower onsite: 1,700 per day

About Roland Construction
Established in 1986, Roland Construction Inc. is the leading pre-engineered steel building contractor in California’s Central Valley. The secret to Roland Construction’s success over the last 26 years is not the awards, innovative building technologies, or the experience of our Metal Building Institute (MBI) certified building erectors. We believe that the key to our success is a simple slogan we have embraced from the very beginning: “We keep our word, that’s our commitment to you.”

We believe that the ability to deliver a quality project on time, safely, and within budget is Roland Construction’s highest priority. Our commitment to excellence, responsibility, integrity, and, most importantly, to our customer is the foundation of our business. We believe this is the reason why we have maintained a high rate of repeat clients and referral business over the years. We take pride in our work and stand behind every construction project by offering a 1 year warranty on all construction products. This means our customers know they are choosing an experienced builder who will deliver a high level of quality and value in every project. Roland Constriction Inc. proudly services the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding counties and would like the opportunity to design and build your next pre-engineered steel building project.

For more information visit www.rolandconst.com

About All Weather Insulated Panels
Headquartered in Vacaville, California, All Weather Insulated Panels (AWIP), A Vicwest Company, has 3 state of the art continuous line manufacturing facilities including Vacaville, Little Rock, AR and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.   AWIP is an innovator in the design, construction and advancement of insulated metal panels and is strategically positioned to meet the growing energy, environmental and economic challenges facing the North American building industry.   AWIP provides its customers with a broad line of insulated wall and roof panels and a full range of complementary trims, accessories and engineering services.

For more information, visit www.awipanels.com